


Dream SMP - Oneshots <3

by AvidReader77



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boys Will Be Boys, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort/Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dad Schlatt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Morning Cuddles, No Smut, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Sick Character, Sickfic, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, Whump, idiots in general, no beta we die like men, they're not very smart sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 55,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvidReader77/pseuds/AvidReader77
Summary: I will take this down if any of the people in the fic are uncomfortable with this!!!!! If I did something that they did not like, please tell me so I can fix it.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Jschlatt, Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Floris | Fundy & Everyone, Floris | Fundy & Jschlatt, Floris | Fundy & Wilbur Soot, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Phil Watson, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Phil Watson, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 301
Kudos: 1050





	1. Introduction and Information!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [MCYT oneshot!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26451805) by [Pachinko_Lessons_101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachinko_Lessons_101/pseuds/Pachinko_Lessons_101). 



> I will take this down if any of the people in the fic are uncomfortable with this!!!!! If I did something that they did not like, please tell me so I can fix it.

Hi! This is going to be a collection of oneshots from the Dream SMP, and this is heavily inspired by Pachinko_Lessons_101. If they think that I'm copying them in any way, I'll adjust or take down whatever chapter they think is a bit too similar. I'll take requests, but under no circumstances will I be writing smut. Not in this book. Nuh-uh. Sorry. There are minors in this book, and writing smut about them or about any of these _real people_ is not something that I am going to do. Sorry if you wanted to suggest that, but its not gonna happen. Sorry. Anyway, I will probably do whatever you suggest, as long as it doesn't make me or the creators uncomfortable. Also, I know that everyone and their mothers have made a Dream SMP book of some sorts, but I want to write one too and No One is going to stop me. Unless the content creators say so.


	2. Request Page!!

I should have done this sooner!! Oops!! Anyway request shit in the comments and I'll write it eventually please and thank you <3


	3. The Adventures of Blob Dream and Nihachu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream makes a new friend that he can trust more than he thought.  
> TW- N/A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you like the chapter, and sorry I didn't use any suggestions for the fist one lol. Please leave constructive criticism in the comments, and give me ideas for future chapters!!! Happy reading, and I hope you like the fluff. :D

Dream didn't know why this happened, but he had learned to deal with it. But, just because he can deal with it doesn't mean he likes it. Once a month, towards the end, he changed. He didn't want anyone to see him like that, so he hid himself off from George and Sapnap for two days and waited until it was over.

George and Sapnap were always worried about him when this happened, but no matter how much they pried, he wouldn't tell them what was wrong. Sapnap jokes about Dream being on his period, and his immature jokes always made Dream smile. They always wanted to help for his "monthly hibernation," as they called it, whether it was asking to bring food or water of extra blankets to Dream's room before he closed himself off.

He said no to every offer, but he was always happy that they cared so much that they wanted to help him even though they knew the answer was going to be no. It worried them, thinking that Dream didn't eat for two days, but he told them after a long barrage of questions that in his "hibernation" he doesn't need to eat. This worried them even more, but they didn't want to annoy Dream, so they laughed it off and started calling him "Bear" because he apparently _did_ go into hibernation for two days. 

Those two days normally came on the 26th or 27th, so Dream went into his room on the 26th and started his hibernation. Sometimes it started on the 28th or the 29th, which meant that he would spend a longer time in his room and away from his worried friends, but that didn't normally happen. He knew that he was going to have to show them eventually, but he was embarrassed about it, and he didn't want to show anyone his most vulnerable state, no matter how much he could trust them. After many long thoughtful nights and periods of zoning out, he decided that he was going to show Sapnap and George himself at his worst so he could stop hiding from them and have them stop worrying. He had a whole plan in his mind, how he would sit them down on the day it started and give a whole spiel about how he trusted them and that he was going to show them why he went into hibernation.

These events did not come to pass.

Dream was alone in the woods behind the remains of the White House when he suddenly stopped in dizziness. 

_This wasn't supposed to happen, its too early! The community house is too far. Anyone can get to me._

He stumbled over the hill in a daze, and was going to stumble down the stairs and hide himself in Fundy's or Quackity's house until it was over. Quackity was never in his own house, so he figured it should be safe. His plans were stopped when he pushed open Quackity's door and was met with Niki looking through his chests, mumbling something about flour and sugar. She turned around to greet who came into the house.

"Oh! Hi, Dream. Quackity told me that he had some ingredients that I could use for some baking recipes, but I can't find any of them. I found ingredients for something _other_ than baking, but I don't want those. Do you- are you okay?"

Dream, who was leaning heavily on the door frame and trying very hard to look normal, had fallen over and landed on his knees. Niki ran over to him, and slid his mask down a fraction to show a sliver of his forehead.

"Dream, you're burning up! I know that we're not on the best of terms, but I want to help you, and I won't take no for an answer. My house is very close, so just stay with me until then. I can make you some tea when we get there, I got some medicinal herbs from a witch in a swamp once. I was maybe going to make something that you could eat and it would get your health up quickly, but clearly you need them more than a loaf of bread that might not do it's job properly in the first place. Come on, let's go."

Niki put Dream's arm over her shoulder, and practically dragged the stumbling man to her home. She could manage him without much difficulty, even though he was in full netherite and significantly taller than her. She was stronger than she looked, and really only Sapnap knew this when he had been on the unfortunate end of a rage-fueled slap. She didn't mean for her temper to get the better of her, but he was talking about Fungi, and how he could have moved, so it wasn't really his fault that he died. That was a bad day in the first place, and that was just the final straw. She smiled to herself when she though about the loud slap that ran through the community house ans Sapnap's shocked face when she took off a heart and a half from just her hand.

She could reminisce about her small victories later, because right now she had a stumbling idiot to take care of. Wouldn't you know that you were this sick at least a couple hours before you went out? She sighed, and gently pushed Dream onto her bed. He immediately bundled himself up in her blankets, and snuggled into them like a cat. It was honestly really cute to see a normally very intimidating person in full netherite snuggle into pastel blankets that smelled like herbs, but she would keep that to herself. She didn't want to ruin his image that he worked so hard to get. He was feared for a reason, and she thought that storied about him curling into a ball and snuggling into fluffy blankets would hurt it.

"I'm going to make some tea, so you just stay here, Dream. I'll be back in just a second. Do you want a specific kind of tea, or can I surprise you?"

"Candyleaf with sugar please..."

The mumbled response earned a smile from Niki, who had not suspected that Dream had a sweet tooth stronger than hers. As she was brewing the tea, she heard a "poof" from the other room, and wondered if Dream had been so sick that he died and had to respawn to shake off some of the illness. She finished the tea as quickly as possible, and knew that Dream would still be there if he had died. His respawn point set to her bed, so all of his things would still be there without the worries of them disappearing. When she went into her bedroom, she expected to find Dream in his hoodie and jeans, with his things strewn about the room. Instead, she found his netherite armor in her bed with no Dream in sight, and none of his things were on the floor.

"What...?"

She made her way over to the bed, and was going to move the armor so Dream could get it later. For some reason, his respawn point must have not set. But where were his things? She put down the tea on her small bedside table and went to move the chestplate when she saw something moving inside of it. She was startled, and moved so her sword was in her hands and pointed at the wiggling chestplate. She didn't know of mobs that small that would spawn here, because a slime would need to be near a swamp, and an endermite would only spawn in the End or if you threw an ender pearl. She was broken out of her thoughts when she saw a blob inch-worming it's way out of the chestplate and onto the bed. It was only about a foot tall, and it had the same design of Dream's mask on it's face. It looked up at her, blinked with it's beady little eyes, and then tears started to flow out of them. 

"Dream, is that you?"

The little blob looked back up at her and nodded slowly. 

"Can you talk like this?"

Dream shook his head no.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

A yes.

"Do you want me to get Sapnap and George?"

A no.

"You can stay here if you want. I really don't mind at all. We can see if you can use signs or books so communicating can be a bit easier. Here's your tea, by the way. Oh! Wait...."

She made her way back to the kitchen and away from the still-crying blob and returned with a swirly straw and put it into the tea. She put the teacup in front of Dream, who took the straw into his mouth and drank with some difficulty. After he drank a bit, he looked back up at her with thankful eyes and a permanent smile that seemed genuine. 

"Do you want to try and write?" Niki asked Dream.

Dream shook his head, and hopped over to her pillow and bounced up and down. She got the memo and took the heave armor off the bed and put it in her chest. 

"I'll give this back when you're back to normal, no worries. It is almost nighttime, and changing must have taken a bit of energy. This is my only bed, so can we share?"

Dream nodded and snuggled his way into the blankets. Niki giggled and got ready for bed, smiling at the cute version of Dream in her bed. She came back in bee pajamas which had been a gift from Tubbo, who owned a matching set with her. She got under the blankets and was shocked when the little blob scooted closer to her, and got comfortable in the crook of her shoulder. She laughed out loud at how un-Dream-like he was being, and made herself more comfortable. She held him like a teddy bear, and he seemed to like that, as his eyes were now squinted and his smile was bigger. 

_He's so soft... He would make a wonderful full-time teddy._

They both drifted off to bed with smiled on their faces. 

Niki woke up hours later to Dream no longer in her arms, and saw him at the foot of her bed with a book in front of him and a quill in his mouth. She took the book, and was surprised at how neat the handwriting was. He must've had practice with it to be this good at writing without hands. She started to read what was in the book.

 _Niki, before any other questions or anything,_ please _don't tell anyone else. I'm not exactly big and strong as a stuffed animal. I was going to show Sap and George, but this one came early for some reason. Its been happening for as long as I can remember, and I haven't found a way to stop it. I'm stuck like this for two days, normally, and it normally happens at the end of the month, towards the 26th or the 27th. Thank you for helping me, even though you really didn't have to. The tea was very good, by the way, and I like your pajamas. :D_

"I wasn't going to tell anyone, Dream. You were crying, and that would be cruel to show people at their lowest. I'm happy you liked the tea and pajamas, Tubbo gave them to me. You can stay here for as long as you need, and you can always come back when this happens again. You make a good teddy, you know."

Dream blushed at that, as he had little pink marks under his eyes. Niki laughed, and went about making breakfast.

The rest of the day was filled with a very curious Dream wanting to get in every nook and cranny of her house, and Niki showing him around New L'Manberg with him sitting happily in her arms. He had more personality than she had ever seen from him, and she was happy that he could trust her with his unguarded side. She put him in her bag whenever someone was close, and she could feel Dream moving about in there. When she took him out, more often than not he had something in his mouth, and presented it to her like a gift. She thought this was adorable, as he looked proud with every find, even if it was just a tuft of wool or a stick. She still thanked him for every present, even though they were her own belongings. As the sun set, she made her way back to her house, and got ready for bed again. She now wasn't surprised when the apparently very tactile Dream snuggled up to her. She wrapper her arms around him, and they drifted off togethr.

When she woke up, the blob was gone, and it was replaced with a still very much asleep Dream. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders and her torso, pushing her into him and suffocating her in his sweater. Her own arms were around him, and their legs were tangled together. His mask was still on, but his hood was off. She moved her hand from his back and brushed it through his hair, shocked at how soft it was. The torches in her house made his blond hair shine, and she thought that he should show it more. He woke up, and groggily moaned.

"What time is it?"

"I think eight-ish."

Dream looked down, and saw Niki wrapped around him, petting his hair. He jolted up out of bed, and immediately started to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, normally I have body pillows or something, I didn't mean to latch onto you like that-"

"Dream," Niki cut him off. "Its completely fine. Does this mean we can be cuddle buddies now?"

Dream tipped his head back and laughed, surprised at how causal she was being.

"Yeah, we can be cuddle buddies. I don't think Sap and George will like that, though, they like to have me to themselves."

He was making his way about, getting his armor out of her chest and putting it on. He turned to her, and moved his mask so one eye and a bit of his mouth could be seen. 

"Niki? Thank you."

And with that he was gone, off into the morning sun.

Niki smiled to herself, and snuggled her way back under the blankets. She didn't want to get up quite yet, and she was feeling warm and happy inside that her new friend trusted her so much. She only hoped that he would come back to cuddle every once in a while.


	4. A Hug, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nightmare from an awful sports event leads Purpled and Sam to get closer, and to see each other as brothers.  
> TW- Panic attack, nightmares, violence and the fear of fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for @rawberries !! who wanted a Purpled and Sam comfort oneshot. Also, sorry if I get their characters wrong, but at least I tried!!!! :D (also you asked for panic induced hurt/comfort so that's what i gave. changed the prompt a bit but it still fits the theme >:D )

Purpled was a bedwars player, and he really loved it. He was known throughout the sport, and he had quite a lot of fans. He wasn't in it for the fans, though. He was doing it because he loved it, and it made him happy. He had to leave his black skull home to go to an event away from the SMP where the next official match was being held. He was chosen to participate this time, and he was happy about it. He hadn't properly played in a while, so he was excited for the match. As he got the the arena from the portal that only Dream could summon, he was barraged with reporters and fans waiting for their favorite player's arrival. A reporter with a large camera crew made their way over to him and put their cameras and mics in his face.

"Mr. Purpled, great to see you here! How do you feel about the competition? You're going up against many of the best, and they all seem to have their eyes on you. How are you feeling?" The reporter then moved their mic into his face, and was met with a sheepish smile.

"I'm feeling pretty good, I guess. It wouldn't be the first time I was targeted in a game. I'll just try my best!"

"Thank you for your response. Rumors say that you hate to lose, and are quite bitter about losses. What are your thoughts on them?" The mic was in his face again, and the reporter was surprised that he tipped his head back and laughed. 

"God, where did you hear that? I've said it so many times that I'm doing this because I love it, and because I think that its fun. Win or lose, as long as I get a good game, I'm happy at the end of the day."

"Such an honorable player! Stay tuned, everybody, because the event is going to start in just a few minutes!"

With that, the reporter and their crew left for the arena, and Purpled made his was to his base. He was in the back hallways of the arena, looking for the teleporter that would bring him to his base over the void, when he was met with another competitor. He smiled at them, not wanting to seem rude. The other competitor glared at him, and pushed him against the wall.

"Hey, man, what the hell are you-!"

"Listen, _kid,_ I worked my _ass off_ to go pro at this game, and I'm not gonna have my victory taken by some kid that's just 'in it for fun.' That shit doesn't fly with me. You're young and good at the game, and suddenly all eyes are on you? Thousands of kids are better than you and never see stardom, and you act like you don't even want to be here. Watch your back, kid."

Before Purpled could say anything, the tall man shoved him over and stalked off, leaving him on the floor with wide eyes and shaky hands. As he went around trying to find his teleporter, he thought of the man that threatened him. He was tall and scary, with brown eyes that just looked angry all the time. He didn't even know this guy's name and he was threatened by him. He finally made it to his teleporter, the holographic circle on the floor saying 'PURPLED' in lime colors. He knew of some pro players that would throw a hissy fit if they didn't get their signature colors, but he didn't mind. His name _was_ Purpled, but that didn't mean everything in his life had to be purple. He had a hunch that they brown-eyed guy might be one of the people that would throw a temper tantrum, and the thought of the overall intimidating guy with angry eyes and ugly barbed-wire tattoos would be so stubborn that he had to have his favorite color in the game made him chuckle. The teleporter changed form his name to 'READY!' so he stepped on and felt his world shift. 

He was in his base's spawn, gold and iron already starting to build up, and salespeople on either side of him ready to buy and sell. A loud voice rang out over the arena form a source seemingly out of the void below them. 

"Players, welcome! As you know, this is a one round game with the goal to be the last one alive! Any hacks or cheats will be met with a one-year ban from the pro league, and severe punishments." The voice droned on, and soon, the final message was uttered. "Players, ready, set, go!" With that the voice and cheers of the audience muted, so the players could have utmost concentration, and so commentators couldn't give away the positions and strategies of the other players. 

The game had started. 

Purpled covered his bed and made his way to the base to his left, taking them and their bed out in one foul swoop. He looked around, and didn't see anyone going near his base. He made his way back, and bought extra strong reinforcements for his bed because he knew he was being targeted. The game droned on, with only three people being left, including himself, purple, and red, who was the angry man from before. He decided to go for purple, and he eventually pushed him off the edge of the middle island. The tattooed man and Purpled circled each other, wanting to see who would make the first move. Red sneered at him, and that turned into a sadistic grin. He made his way over to Purpled with unreal speeds, even though he didn't see the light blue bubbles of a swiftness potion coming off of him. He was left defenseless as all his armor had suddenly vanished, and a sword engulfed in flames was plunged into his chest. He coughed, and tried to reach for the golden apple in his inventory, only to find it blank. He knew this was the end, but his bed hadn't been destroyed, so he would just respawn. His optimistic thoughts soon went out of his mind as letters came over his vision, telling him that his bed had been destroyed. He and red were the only ones left on the map, so he knew that red was cheating. The voice rang out again.

"RedLegend69, you have been disqualified for cheating. The match will end immediately, and Purpled will be declared the victor."

The round didn't end.

He could tell the mods were panicking and that the reporters were gonna have a field day with this one, but right now, he was more concerned about Red, whose sword was still lodged in his chest. 

"I don't care that I'm gonna get banned, it was worth it seeing some wannabe pro player face the real world."

With that, arrows went into him from several angles, and the ground beneath him turned to flames. Red was flying above him, laughing at his misery. His hearts were running out, and he would be dead in a matter of seconds. Those seconds went on for too long, and he realized that Red had somehow made it so that he had more hearts, making him suffer longer. The flames got taller and the arrows sank deeper, and Purpled let out and anguished cry. Everything hurt, so, _so_ bad. The flames were eventually put out, but he had no idea what was going on. There was soot in his lungs and in his eyes, and he seemed to be looking at himself from a third's eye view. He saw that mods had to physically take him out of the arena, and that they were giving him as many splash potions of healing and regeneration as they could. He was just drifting in his won mind at this point, unaware about everything other than faces looming over him and loud voices saying something about a mercy kill. He shut his already drooping eyes, and was more than happy to embrace the darkness that consumed him. 

He woke up in the arena's infirmary, the worried faces of the mods looming over him. He felt sore and drowsy, but for the most part okay. They explained to him that Red had cheated so severely that they banned him from the sport for life, and they took away his rank and all previous awards. Even his most avid fans had a strong dislike towards him after seeing what they did to the teen. They've fended off worried fans and prying camera crews from the infirmary, but they were starting to get antsy. One mod turned to him and helped him sit up.

"We contacted Dream and let a portal open up in here, so please feel free to go home. You don't have to deal with any of the press right now, and you'll feel more comfortable in your own world. You can come back to the arena whenever you like."

Purpled forced a grin and said thank you, walking up to the portal that he could see the community house from. He wanted to get home and heal properly, and he didn't want to think about anything that happened. He made his way through the portal and stepped onto the crafting table floor of the community house. He wanted to go to his own house, but he was too tired and sore to make the long walk there. He decided to crash on a lone bed in the community house, and he would move himself when he woke up and could walk without grimacing. He soon drifted off into a restless sleep, even though he was bone tired.

Sam was back onto the main part of the SMP after being on his base for a while. He was grinding levels for enchantments and collecting future redstone materials, and both of those tasks were time consuming. Besides, he had to come back to the main area, as Tommy had apparently stolen something of his out of spite because Wilbur said he wouldn't get away with it. He liked Tommy, and saw him as his sort-of brother, or a younger cousin that wanted to hang out with their older relatives because they thought it would make them cool. He decided to just steal back what Tommy stole so he didn't have to get into a battle with the hyperactive teen, and so he could confuse him a bit. He was making his way down from the portal and into the dark community house when he heard something move in the darkness.

His sword was immediately drawn, and he slowly made his way to the rustling noise when he saw a figure move on a bed that no one had used since the start of the SMP. He put his sword away, as the figure was obviously human, and he didn't want to scare them. He stopped moving forward when he heard distressed whimpers from underneath the blanket.

"No, no more fire...... stop the arrows.... the sword.... too hot..... stop....... stop......stop-!"

The now panting figure bolted upright and hid their head in their arms, and brought their knees to their chest. He saw the purple hoodie and light brown hair, but he thought that Purpled had left for a bedwars game even a couple hours ago. There was normally a party afterwards so why would he be back so soon?

"Purpled?"

The boy jumped out of his own skin, unaware that someone had entered the house. He tearfully looked at Sam, who looked worried about him. The nightmare was so real and so scary and he could feel the heat and see the smile and hear the laugh-

He hadn't noticed that he was breathing so quickly and that he was speaking his words out loud to the creeper hybrid, who could piece together what had probably happened to Purpled at the event. He made his way over to the boy, and took him by the shoulders. 

"I want you to copy my breathing, please. In... and out. One... and two. Everything is going to be okay."

The heavy breathing turned into quiet sniffles after a few breaths, and now Purpled was wiping his tear-stained cheeks with his hoodie. 

"Thank you, Sam. You, uh, helped me out there. I'll tell you about it later, but, um, can I have a hug, please?" Purpled looked up at Sam with hopeful eyes and outstretched arms, waiting for Sam to hug him.

"Of course you can. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but I'm always up for listening. Do you want me to stay here with you for the night?"

He heard a muffled "yes please" from his chest, and laid them both down on the bed. Purpled was still hugging him so tight as if he would vanish, and Sam only started to run his fingers through the teen's hair. After a while, he heard his breathing slow down, and felt the tight grip on the back of his sweater loosen up. He put his head on top of Purpled's, and shut his eyes. 

If his little brother wanted to talk, he could, and Sam would always be there for him.


	5. Can I Come Over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity clings to Sam for a day, and trouble ensues.  
> TW- N/A  
> (BTW THESE ARE PERSONAS AND NOT THE REAL PEOPLE. I WILL GLADLY TAKE THIS DOWN IF IT MAKES ANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS STORY UNCOMFORTABLE.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has come to my attention that the person I was inspired by to write this has left kudos and bookmarked this. Excuse me while I hyperventilate- (i hope you like the stories, btw!) Also, this chapter is for @Mchusky who wanted a story with Big Q and Sam, and they left the details to me! I hope you like it!!  
> (also i can HEAR quackity in this wtf-)

It was another day on the Dream SMP, and people were just milling about. Tommy and Tubbo were arguing over something, but it wasn't serious. Wilbur was in the sewers, showing Niki around. Fundy was in the woods yelling at Phil, who was laughing at what he said. Quackity was on his bed that sat atop a cobblestone floor, and was staring at the clouds drifting by.

He was bored out of his mind. Normally there was _someone_ around that he could talk to, but they were all off doing their own things. Normally he wasn't above butting into a conversation, but he knew that all of them were talking about something important. Tommy and Tubbo were talking about advancements to New L'Manberg, Niki and was trying to help Wilbur remember things, and Fundy and Phil were having "grandadza and furry time" as Tommy had put it. There was no one around to bug, and he was starting to get antsy. He let out a dramatic groan, put his clothes back on, and started to go up the oak stairs that led to Tommy's base. He would have... "cooked" something, but the only place he knew where brewing stands were was in Wilbur's house, and he didn't want to barge into his house and ask if he could use one. He sighed again, and looked at the iron door mess next to him. It had something to do with Tubbo and Fundy's dreamon thing, but he honestly didn't want to know. He was walking up the lantern-lit stairs when he saw someone alone, wandering about. Before any other thought popped into his head, he started running towards the person, and yelled when he saw who it was.

"EEEYYYYY SAMEYYY!"

Sam turned around to look at Quackity sprinting at him, and he braced himself for the hug he knew was coming. He didn't dislike hugs, but Quackity just put a lot of effort into his. He was actually lifted a couple inches off of the ground as Quackity held him tightly at the waist, even though he was much smaller than him. His arms were stuck by his side as they were locked in the embrace, or else he would've hugged back. He was let down and pushed back to arm's length and looked down at Quackity who was holding onto his forearms tightly, and beaming up at him. 

"Hey, Quackity."

"I would've wanted some more emotion in that, Awesamdude. Normally people are overjoyed to see me."

"If they're so happy to see you, then why aren't you with them?"

"All of them are doing important things or whatever. But hey man, I haven't talked to you in a _whiilee._ I heard that you have a killer base, yeah? Can I come over?"

"I mean, I was going to talk with Tommy, I accidentally got some of his items by accident, but you said he's busy, and I believe you about that. You can come over, even though I just left from there and have spent the last several days there working on the redstone and grinding XP."

"Eyyyyyy, lead the way, Sammeyyyy!"

He sighed and turned around, preparing to make the tedious trip through the nether to go back to the place he just left. Quackity followed him and started talking about something, he couldn't remember. He knew what he was saying when he was whining at him, wanting them to keep going the short distance to the portal, but Sam insisted that he _had_ to fix the creeper holed in the ground, and that he _had_ to replace the broken planks on the Prime Path. He knew it was irritating Quackity, but he was going to do something before he was ran into, so he though Quackity could wait a couple of minutes while he fixed what was bugging him. Phil had done a pretty good job filling in the creeper holes, but some of them were missed. Quackity drew the line when Sam started going backwards, saying that there was a creeper hole in New L'Manberg that he forgot to fix. He laughed when Quackity took him by the arm and started dragging him to the portal. When they got into the nether, they were met with blistering heat, but Sam was getting used to it, as he had to come down here so often to get anywhere else.

"Okay, Quackity, you said you didn't know how to get to my base, so just follow m- what the hell are you doing."

He turned around to see Quackity stripping down to his boxers, and he looked back up at him as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"It's hot down here, man! I have no idea how you can wear all that armor when I'm having a heat stroke from wearing _nothing._ I might just take my boxers off too-"

"Aaand that is where I draw the line. Can you please put your pants back _on?_ Going around in your underwear is just weird, and the fires here are at leg level, and I don't have any aloe at the base, so you're on your own if you get burned."

"Fine, I'll put them back on. The shirt stays off, though. Its... so nice... to know that you _careee-_ "

Sam just shoved Quackity on the shoulder, laughing at the way he made his voice higher and made it sound as though he was going to cry. They made their way through the nether, with Quackity almost falling off of a cliff and into lave, and with him accidentally hitting a pigman near the start of their journey, which made traveling forward much harder. He knew what had happened when he lost sight of Quackity for a minute and then heard a high-pitched scream as well as several angry snorts close behind it. He just tipped his head back and sighed, realizing that he was travelling with a toddler trapped in a teenager's body. He knew that Quackity was smart when he wanted to be, but right now, he very clearly did not want to be. He turned towards the scream and made his way over to the commotion, expecting to see maybe four or five pigmen chasing Quackity. Instead, he saw fifteen pigmen jabbing their swords at Quackity, who was up high on a single-block wide tower made of wool. Quackity spotted him, and screamed for help.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO HIT ONE, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I TRIPPED AND TRIED TO GRAB ONTO SOMETHING, BUT THE CLOSEST THING WAS A PIGMAN AND THEY THOUGHT I PUNCHED THEM AND PLEASE HELP!"

Quackity knew that there was no way around it, so he started to stab and strike at the pigmen surrounding the tower. Quackity was acting as his personal cheerleader through the process, which honestly helped him get through the fight. By the time all of them were dead and no more were coming over the hills, he was a panting mess and he still had his sword drawn out in front of him, ready to fight anyone who came in their way. He took off his helmet and wiped his forehead, the heat finally getting to him, and the adrenaline going down. He saw Quackity break his tower and run towards him, thanking him profusely for what he did. 

"It was nothing, really. Let's get to my base before any more come, okay?" He was met with a nod and a grunt of affirmation. He then took Quackity by the hand and started sprinting across the ice bridge, a surprised Quackity trailing behind him. He saw Sam panting before, and knew that the fight must have taken a lot out of him. He honestly felt bad, but there was only so much he could do now to help Sam get home faster. He was sprinting next to Sam, letting go of his hand to let him use his arms while he ran. He got a head nod and a smile in return. They eventually made it to the portal that would lead them out of the nether, and both of them let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the stars above them. without saying anything, Sam made his way over to the wall of stone that hid his base and opened the complicated door with the press of a button. He heard Quackity gasp next to him, clearly not exacting something so extravagant to be Sam's base. He ran inside, arms wide and eyes bright, eagerly showing Sam what he saw. Sam smiled, muttered "make yourself at home," before groggily making his way to his bedroom and flopping down on his bed. He saw Quackity peek his head through the door frame, a worried look on his face.

"Hey, big man, are you good? I'm really sorry about that, I honestly didn't mean for that to happen."

Sam sighed, and turned over so that he was facing the ceiling.

"I know it wasn't your fault, Quackity. I'm just so tired and I can never sleep properly anymore, but I guess that's what I get for working on the base through all-nighters and only consuming coffee. I just want to sleep properly, you know?"

With that Quackity lit up, and made his way over to the chest in the room labeled "Potion Making" and he started rummaging through the chest with vigor. Sam was too tired to even ask, but he heard Quackity explain himself anyway.

"I don't only know how to make drugs, you know. I know this great potion for sleep and it knocks me out for a solid ten hours whenever I need to take it. Nothing fishy, no drugs, just a crap ton of natural resources all there to help you sleep. This thing is magic, man, I'm telling you. Ah! There we go, got everything..." 

Sam them heard the sounds of bubbling coming from the brewing stand next to his chest, and he knew that Quackity was making his sleep potion. He heard Quackity take the potion bottle off of the stand and he made his way over to Sam and held it out to him with a smile. The potion was a pretty lavender color, and when he opened it up, it smelled like it, too. He knew he didn't have any lavender, so Quackity must've used his own. He drank it all in one go, and slowly took off his armor and chucked it somewhere on the floor. He made his way under the covers and started to close his eyes when he felt the blankets move and turned over to see Quackity on the other side of his bed.

"Can I sleep here? I don't have a spare bed and I promise I won't invade your space-'

"Yeah, its fine... don't care if you do. I'm so nice and tired now... thank you, Quackity."

"No problem. Just shut up and go to sleep, big man, you need it."

He then took out his guitar from his enchanted bag which held way more than it should, and started to play a slow melody. He even started humming along to the song, mumbling coherent words every now and again. If Sam wasn't tired before, he certainly was now. He drifted off with a smile on his face, and he slept for the promised ten hours, finally resting properly for the first time in days.

When he woke up, Quackity was no longer on the other side of the bed. He was tucked under Sam's chin and his arms were by his chest, with his legs curled up a bit. Sam's own arms were wrapped around Quackity in a protective sort of way, and one hand was in his hair, brushing through it in his sleep. With sleep still in his eyes and his body still tired, he pulled Quackity closer to him and went off to sleep again.


	6. Not a Chapter. A Warning.

As many of you are aware, a very important stream is happening on the Dream SMP tomorrow. I am going to watch the stream, or at least try to. I won't be writing any chapters about the stream until the vod is uploaded so that people who missed the stream can know what's going on. If any of you little shits spoils what happened in the comments, I will be writing hurt/no comfort and angst/no comfort with a dash of major character death for the next week. 

I love all of my readers, and I'm over the moon that so many people are reading this, and leaving comments and kudos. Fluff is my forte, but don't think that I worn't write heart-shattering chapters because one of you said what happened. I'm going to write a normal chapter today, so don't worry about that.

You have been warned.


	7. Oh Look, Another One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> techno and Dream bond as brothers through battle, and Dream accidentally joins SBI.  
> TW- mild violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you that a normal chapter would be out today! >:D Anyway, this one is for @The_Sa1tiest_CarameL who wanted SBI + Dream hurt/comfort, which I will happily give out!!
> 
> BTW, my threat for spoilers still stands.  
> (AGAIN THIS IS PERSONAS AND I WILL TAKE THIS DOWN IF ANY CREATORS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS)

Techno wanted more XP. He had loads of levels, but the highest level enchantments needed more than what he had. He felt as though he had been standing at the spider spawner for _hours,_ but he knew he could stay there longer. He did spend fourteen hours farming potatoes when he first joined Pogtopia, so this was nothing. Even though he had waited for longer periods of time than this, he still got bored. He stood off of the lapis block, he made his way to the enderchest in the corner of the room.

He took a jukebox out of the chest and placed it down, thinking music would be better to listen to than the sounds of hundreds of spiders trying to get out of the spawner. He placed it down, and started rummaging around for a disc. He was getting frustrated, as he couldn't find a single disc in the chest. He had been on the server for months, and apparently, he had never come across a disc of his own. He knew that he could just stop looking and go back to farming XP quietly, but his mind was set now, and there was nothing that could stop him from getting a disc, except for mild to medium levels of peer pressure.

He could ask Tommy for one of his, but Tommy didn't trust him anymore, and he didn't want to start an unnecessary war with the hot-headed teen. He figured that he had to go get one on his own, which would be annoying, but doable. He figured it was nighttime, and his theories were correct when he swam out of the spawner to see beautiful stars. 

Finding and trapping a creeper and shoving it in a boat would be annoying, but he had to find a skeleton to shoot the creeper as well. He sighed and swept his hair over his shoulder, wondering how he could get this done easier. He remembered that there were hundreds of mobs at the docks for some reason, and he knew that quite a few of them were in boats. Someone must've had the same idea as him, and they trapped the mobs there to get a disc. From what he remembered, the mobs were still in there, just chilling in the boats, so someone must've forgotten to use the dark spawn they made to get a disc. That made it easier for him, so he wasn't going to complain.

He took out his trident and started soaring through the skies, landing in pools of water and slowly making his way towards the docks. He did have second thoughts as he was heading towards the mob-infested building, as he wasn't wearing his netherite armor. It was close to breaking, and he didn't want to wear it until it was fixed, or else he would have to grind for a new, and that would take him quite a long time. He shook off his nerves and climbed the wall-less building, only to realize that he may have made a bit of a mistake.

Mobs were spawning by the minute, and they all had their eyes towards him. He could take all these mobs, and he would get a disc in the process. He was a legendary killer of the best players, so a bunch of mobs would be no problem for him. He smiled to himself and tied up his long hair, putting it in an elegant ponytail. He raised his ax and lunged into the horde of mobs, ready to get a disc and get more levels in the process.

He had underestimated the sheer amount of mobs that would be shooting at him and blowing up at the same time.

He was panting, standing over a dead spider, and he raised his sword to meet the blow of another one that jumped at him. He was knocked to the ground, and he was losing hearts by the second. He seemed to forget that he wasn't actually invincible, and that he wasn't wearing any armor. The only think he had on was his royal outfit, and he doubted a cape was going to protect him from the dozen arrows that were currently being fired at him. He couldn't lose here, he had so many levels and so many things on him, and he didn't want to respawn in his bed only to tell his family that he had been killed by mobs.

He knocked the spider off of him, and he raised his ax to fight again. He was going after a skeleton that was shooting at him when a flaming arrow broke through it's skull, and it landed on the floor and shattered into bones. He turned around to see Dream with his crossbow raised and his armor off as well. He could feel the green bastard smirking at him even though he had a mask on, and it irritated him to unrealistic levels. 

"What happened to the mighty Blood God? To think that he has to get help from the man who runs the show just so he doesn't get killed by a couple of mobs."

Techno merely rolled his eyes at Dream. They taunted each other and were at each other's throats constantly, but they were brothers to each other, even though neither of them would ever admit it out loud. 

"I was doin' just fine on my own, Dream."

"It looked like you were getting your ass kicked by mobs. You're literally fighting them right now!"

"Thanks for the observance, now are you gonna help me or not?"

"Sure thing."

With that, Dream ran into the dark building and put his back to Techno. They were fighting along each other, and they were in perfect sync. They seemed to know what the other was thinking even if they didn't say anything. When Dream ducked, Techno turned around and shot the skeleton behind him. Techno dropped onto one knee when Dream was running up to him, and he allowed himself to be used as a springboard as Dream sank his sword into the back of a creeper. He was immediately back on his feet with his back to Dream, and they started fighting again.

They were almost through the whole floor when a witch suddenly spawned in, and Techno didn't notice it. He was dealing with a herd of creepers, and he didn't want to get blown up. The witch was throwing back her arm, a potion in hand, and she threw it, and aimed it directly at Techno. Dream saw this, and he swore that time stopped moving normally. Everything felt like it was in slow motion as he shoved Techno to the side, and got hit with a potion of harming head on. He gasped and sank to his knees, the potion hitting harder than he thought. Techno whirled around, looking at the idiot that pushed him out of the way for some reason. He was doing fine on hearts, and he thought Dream was, too. He knew now Dream was incredibly low, as a harming potion didn't take someone else like that unless they were close to dying. 

He didn't want Dream to die, especially not for him. 

He put his ax away and ran to Dream, who was coughing into his arm. There were arrows sticking out of his back from the skeletons that shot him when he was down, and he knew he had to take them out before he could get Dream to safety. He went in front of Dream who put his head on his shoulder, and he whispered to the confused man.

"I'm sorry." 

With that he pulled the arrows out of his back as quickly and as painlessly as he could, but he still felt horrible when he heard Dream's anguished cries. He picked him up bridal style and ran of the edge of the building, landing in the water below. He knew Dream would respawn, but it was never a pleasant experience, and he didn't want to put him in more pain than he was already in.

"Just hold on, Dream, you'll be fine."

He took out his trident and soared through the skies, with a deadish Dream in his arms. He flew to the only place he could think of that he knew could help, and he hoped that Dream could hold on for the short fly there. 

Phil was getting worried. 

He was with Wilbur and Tommy in the sewers, and he promised that he would help Wilbur try to remember the more troubling aspects of his memory. Tommy and Techno both volunteered to help their brother, even though they knew the information would hurt him. They were going to wait for all four of them to be there to start, so they were sitting patiently for Techno to get there. Well, mostly patiently.

Tommy was chasing around Wilbur who was laughing his head off, a book in his hand that he had started to read out loud to pass the time. As soon as he said it was by Tommy, his eyes became wide and he was trying to get the book from his hands, sating that he had no idea how he got that and that he was going to burn it when he had the chance. Phil chuckled to himself at his boy's antics, as they never failed to make him laugh. He was going to go out and get Techno himself at this point, too worried to sit still anymore. He didn't have to, however, when Techno barged in the door with an injured Dream in his arms. 

"Phil, Dad- you have to help him. He ran right into a harming potion so I didn't get hurt and he was hit with a buncha arrows, and I know you know how to do healing crap. Wilbur, do you have any healing potions or bandages or anything? Dad, you have to help him, my brother-"

Phil knew it was serious the minute ha called him Dad. Techno rarely called him that unless something was very, very wrong, or his emotional side was showing. So, under these circumstances, he didn't hear the word from his eldest son very much. He pulled out a bed from his inventory and told Techno to put him on it. He made his way over to Dream, who turned his head to Techno.

"I'm your brother?"

"You always have been, you idiot. Now stop talkin', I don't want you dying."

Phil merely laughed to himself and started looking at Dream and his wounds before he said to no one in particular.

"Oh great, another one."

He knew that Techno and Dream were close, but he didn't know that they were at the level of brothers. If he was his brother, then he would join the family, no questions asked. Dream started to squirm, obviously in pain and uncomfortable with all the eyes on him. 

"You guys don't _have_ to help me. I would be completely fine on my own."

"Not gonna happen, Big D. You're our brother now, and that means we gotta help you, even though you're annoying as shit sometimes."

Dream chuckled at that, knowing that he wasn't going to get out of there without help. He then ushered Techno down to his level and whispered something in his hear that made his eyes go wide.

"Are you sure?"

A nod.

Techno let out a breath and put his hand behind Dream's head, and a small click could be heard. His smiling mask was then taken off of his face to reveal his bright green eyes, freckles, and a winning smile that was trying very hard not to be a grimace.

"I figured my family should know what I look like."

This statement was immediately met with a roar of surprise and happiness from Tommy who went over and started poking Dream in the face, almost to make sure what he was seeing was real. Wilbur let out a few claps, and Phil and Techno just smiled at him. he then shooed Tommy away and went to work on Dream's wounds, bandaging them all with speed and precision. Dream grunted when he had to clean the wounds on his back, and Phil let out a mumble of "sorry." Wilbur was brewing healing potions and was almost done, and Tommy was still raving about being cool enough to see Dream's face.

He then fell onto the bed besides Dream and smushed himself into his side, and Dream clearly didn't know what to do. He was normally not this touchy with anyone other than Sapnap and George, but he pushed Tommy into his side anyway. Wilbur gave him a healing potion, and Dream was already feeling better. He turned on his side and brought Tommy close to his chest, and Tommy let out a muffled laugh. Dream must've been quite tired, because he made a grabby-hands motion to Techno and Phil. They placed down another bed so there would be room for all of them, and snuggled into Dream and Tommy. Wilbur did need to sleep, just not as much as someone who was alive. He clambered on top of Philza and fell asleep there, the transparent boy not weighing very much at all. They all fell asleep there, a tangled mess full of familial love. 


	8. Again, Not a Chapter

I am so, so, _so_ happy that so many people are reading my story. Thank you all so much for the comments, they might be my favorite part of the day! I love waking up and checking my inbox only to see a ridiculous amount of comments and kudos, and it always makes me happy to hear feedback. Speaking of feedback, _PLEASE_ give me constructive criticism! Despite your amazing compliments, I am not a professional, and would love to hear some criticism so I can improve my writing! I will gladly take it into consideration, and will not be hurt when you tell me I could improve on something. Unless you phrase the criticism like a dickhead, in which case my feelings will be hurt. :') 

Don't worry, another chapter is coming out today! I'm sorry that I haven't taken on some of the angsty requests; fluff is more my style. I _do_ have an idea that combines both fluff and angst, so if you guys want it, I will provide it.

Happy reading!! :D


	9. Whoops Another Not-Chapter

I'm sorry to all of my wonderful readers, but I don't think a chapter is gonna come out today. I have a lot of homework to do, and writing a chapter takes around two hours. i would like to do something else, even though I'm writing this for fun, and it makes me happy to do so. I'm not stopping the story by any means, and there will be a chapter tomorrow. Right now, I'm just a little burnt out. Thanks for understanding! :')


	10. Don't Push Yourself, You Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy pushes himself too far, but his dad and brother are here to help.  
> TW - N/A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not updating a chapter yesterday, I just had so much to do and I didn't want to push my work off to the side. :/ Anyway, this chapter is for @A Name who gave a lot of prompts. I decided to do this one because if you've read literally any of the previous chapters I'm a sucker for sickfics and hurt/comfort. Also, thanks for telling me that the paragraphs were bulky, I don't notice these things because I write on a desktop. (also plot needs to plot so things are going to be convenient. sue me.)

He knew that streaming wasn't the _best_ idea considering he was so sick he could hardly think properly, but he knew that he could push through it. A little cold wasn't something to cancel a stream over, and it was just a mediashare stream. There wasn't any big war happening, so it was probably just going to be a chill stream.

Probably. 

He clicked onto Twitch and started to stream, not thinking anything was wrong.

"What is u- *cough* up chat! Today is um, mediashares, so *cough* you know the drill!"

Tommy looked sleepily into his camera, thinking that he sounded an d looked perfectly fine. In actuality, there was a pink tint going over the bridge of his nose, and a red rim under his eyes. His hair was mussed up and sticking up in multiple directions, looking as though he had just woken up. His voice was gravelly and strained, and he was coughing into his arm while he was trying to speak. Not to mention he was staring off into space at certain moments, and his movements were much slower than they normally were.

Chat was immediately worried about Tommy, and he looked over at the chat to see concerned messages whizzing past him at high speeds. He squinted his eyes and slowly read the chat, reassuring them that he was completely fine.

"Mods, can you um *cough* start taking in donos please? Thank you..."

His sentence trailed off as his in-game character started to wander about his house, sorting through the newly organized chests and picking up some bones. The area just below his house was barren except for the football court he built for Vik and a few scarce trees, so he was going to plant more and bone meal the grass until it looked how he liked. He was also planning on filling in the gaping hole at the side of the hill, but he thought that he should pretty up the lower area a bit first. 

The first video popped up, and for once it wasn't him singing to Bruno Mars or "apples am I right chat." It was "Take a Break" from Hamilton. He smiled to himself, and started talking to the chat again.

"Wilby loves this song! I don't know much from Hamilton other than 'My Shot,' but I know that Will knows the whole thing. It sounds pretty, though."

He continued on with the game, clearly not understanding why that song was sent to him. The chat was flooding with messages, faster than Tommy's sick mind could comprehend. Most of the messages were "WILBY POG," "AWWWWWWWWW," and various viewers asking if he was alright. Tommy didn't acknowledge that the chat was spamming awws, and that they heard him call Wilbur 'Wilby.' He kept on planting trees and sprucing up the area a bit, mumbling the words to 'My Shot' to himself. More and more videos came up, all spreading the same message.

"I need a doctor! Ahhh~ I'm not a doctor but I think I might be able to help!"

"Don't stay awake for too long, don't go to bed, I'll make a cup of coffee for your head-"

"(insert mii maker music with various self care messages on screen)"

The kind messages went on for quite a long time, with Tommy still not understanding what chat was trying to tell him. Someone then donated a ridiculous amount of money for rain sounds, and that brought Tommy's attention back to the screen.

"Are you lot *cough cough* trying to make me go to sleep? Well it's not gonna work. I, uhm-"

Tommy's head became too heavy at that moment, and he had just enough time to put his arms on his desk so his head didn't slam into the hard surface. All that could be seen by the stream was a tuft of fluffy hair, and shoulders shallowly rising and falling. His eyes were drooping for a long time, and the rain sounds finally became too much for him. He had passed out in the middle of a stream with tens of thousands of worried viewers wondering if he was alright. Donos were going off constantly, with loud videos playing trying to wake him up. He kept on sleeping soundly, and that worried the chat even more. 

Phil had no idea anything was happening. He was testing out some new Minecraft features with Will, who was really only there so he wasn't alone and so that there was a source of comedy for the stream. His character, along with Wilbur's, was flying through rocks underground to try and find a naturally spawning amethyst cave. He was saying something to will about the sparkly sounds it made when you walked on it, only for his eyes to be caught by his rapidly moving chat.

"Woah! Will, what's going on? Did you do something?"

His eyes roamed over the chat, and he started to get more confused. His viewers had skyrocketed as well, so he was starting to get worried. He would've gotten a notification if he got a raid, so the oncoming horde of viewers was puzzling.

"DAD HELP"

"PHIL SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG"

"HELPHELPHELPHELPHELP"

"WILBUR HELP SOMETHING IS WRONG"

"Calm down, chat! All you're doing is telling us that something is wrong, without telling us what's actually happening. Explain, please!"

"TOMMY"

"DAD HE PASSED OUT"

"HE LOOKED REALLY SICK"

"WE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING"

"TOMMY SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TOMMY"

Phil's eyes widened, and he told Will that the chat was freaking out about Tommy. He knew that Tommy pushed himself to the point of exhaustion, but for him to pass out on stream? Something was very wrong. When he talked with him last, he did notice that his voice was lower and scratchy, but he told him that he was fine. He didn't believe him, but Tommy kept changing the subject when he brought up his concern. He wouldn't fake something like this, and he was getting more worried by the second. He exited out of his game and clicked onto Tommy's stream, wanting to see for himself.

Chat wasn't lying when they said he was passed out. You could still only see a bit of blonde hair and slowly moving shoulders, with each breath audible through the mic. 

"Will, chat wasn't lying. Do you have his dad's number or something?"

"No, I don't. He wrote it down on a napkin or something but Tommy threw it out because he said that I wasn't his babysitter. We might have to go get him ourselves, we aren't far."

Phil and Will explained that they were going to meet up with Tommy again, so they rented a hotel room together so they could keep all their things in one place and save money. This made his internet slower as he was on a laptop, and the chat had guessed that they were together when Phil said something about Wilbur leaving his sweaters everywhere. 

"Should we go? Wouldn't Tommy's parents think it's a little weird that we show up days early and ask them to let us into her house?"

"Phil, we have to go. Is he alright? He could be a lot worse than just tired. We need to see him, Will."

Phil could tell that Wilbur was getting worried, as he was talking quickly and he was starting to get louder. He was also very, _very_ worried, but he didn't want Wilbur or the chat to panic more than they already were. 

"Um, okay chat. We were going to see Tommy for a vlog which is why we're close to his house, we're not stalkers or anything. Thanks for telling us, but we have to go. Now."

He quickly ended his stream and put on his coat, and he he heard Wilbur quickly looking though his bags to find a sweater, even though there were several on the floor. 

"Tommy likes stealing my sweaters, the gremlin stole one of 'em when we saw each other for the first time. He was tired out of his mind when he said he liked fluffy sweaters, so I'm getting my softest one. He said that wearing fluffy sweaters would 'ruin his image,' so I didn't say anything. I know what I'm getting him for Christmas now, so it doesn't matter to me. Let's go, yeah?"

He and Phil hurriedly called an Uber and made their way to Tommy's house as quickly as they could while trying to stay calm, which was not an easy task. Will's let was constantly bouncing, and Phil was tapping his fingers together. He heard someone say it helped with attention span and fidgeting, but it sure as hell wasn't working for him. When they got to Tommy's house, they thanked the driver for getting them there so quickly, and they started ringing the doorbell to Tommy's house. They were met with the face of Tommy's mom, who looked surprised to see them, nut not upset.

"Phil! Wilbur! I thought you were coming over in a couple days. Did I mark it down wrong?"

"No, um, Phil you explain it."

Phil sighed, but he figured this was what was going to happen. Wilbur was freaked out of his mind and couldn't keep still for a second. His foot was tapping, his knuckles were cracking, and his eyes were peering inside the house as if Tommy would be there suddenly. 

"Well, you know how Tommy has been a bit sick?"

He was met with a nod from Tommy's now concerned mother.

"Well, he passed out on stream. We came over as quickly as we could to tell you or to come wake him up. You can absolutely wake him up yourself, but the last time we checked, there were seventy thousand people watching the stream, and we doubted that you would wanna be in front of that many people."

His mom put her hand over her mouth, and quickly ushered them inside.

"He keeps burning the candle from both ends! He had a cold a bit ago, but I doubt that staying up until morning and the cold weather has helped it a bit. As much as I want to wake him up him up myself, I don't want to be shown off to the world, especially when I'm so panicked. Thank you for telling me what was going on. Now go, his room is upstairs, the one immediately to the right. Talk some sense into him please, and get him to bed!"

Wilbur was already upstairs before she could finish speaking and was barging into Tommy's room. Tommy's chat exploded at seeing Will, but Wilbur quickly shut off the stream and he focused on the still-asleep Tommy. He turned his chair around so that he was looking at Will, and he blearily opened his eyes. 

"Wilby?"

Will immediately put his hand on Tommy's forehead, and felt that he was running a high fever. He knew it was worse than he thought when Tommy called him Wilby. He still liked to tease him about it, and it still made Tommy embarrassed, but a certain bee-loving birdie told him that Tommy called him that off-stream. He looked at Tommy, and saw the messy hair, the red face and eyes, ans the tired looking smile. He brought his wrists to his eyes and rubbed them, grumbling like a small child aboout the sun in his eyes. 

"What are you doing here, Wilby? I thought you weren't *cough* to be here until Friday. Can I have a hug, please? I'm cold and you look warm."

Tommy then made grabby hands at Wilbur, and he unsteadily stood up so he could wrap his arms around his brother. When Wilbur picked him up and brought him to his bed, he merely reacted by grabbing onto the back of his sweater and pushing his face into his shoulder. When Will went to go and get Phil, he heard a whimper and teary eyes looking at him.

"Stay, please?"

Will couldn't say no to Tommy, even though he had to get Phil and Tommy's mom. He clambered onto Tommy's bed and sat next to him, and he laughed as Tommy instantly cuddled into him like a cat. He wrapped his arms around Will's torso. He really didn't want Will to leave. Will made him feel safe.

When Wilbur yelled something to someone downstairs, he was surprised to see a worried looking Phil come into his room with his mom right behind him. Phil let out a laugh at Tommy clinging onto Will like a koala, and he made his way over to his bed as well. He sat on Tommy's other side while his mom took his temperature and gave him medicine and water. She started to run her fingers through his hair, and she let out a chuckle when we turned his head away from her and looked up at Wilbur. 

"Can I have your sweater, please? It's in the closet over there. It's all big on me and it smells good."

Wilbur instead just took off the very fluffy sweater he was wearing and handed it to a beaming Tommy, who put it on with struggle. His mind was cloudy, his joints hurt, and the medicine that his mom just gave him was making him tired. He snuggled into Wilbur even more, and he let out a content sigh. Phil and Wilbur then started to hear sniffles coming from the teen drowning in the sweater Will gave him. Will pulled him up and forced him to look at him, confused as to why he was crying. Phil started to pet his hair, and instead of backing away, he leaned into the touch.

"Why are you crying, Tommy?"

"I know that me getting more sick was my fault, and you guys h-had to stop streaming just to come over. You're my dad and my brother, y-you know that, right? I don't want you to leave, please don't leave."

Phil and Wilbur looked at each other, surprised at how emotional Tommy was being. They knew that it was because the cold broke down his filter, but they didn't realize he cared so much about them.

"We won't leave, Tommy. Don't worry about that."

When Tommy's mom came in a few hours later to give Tommy more medicine and check on the boys, she found them all cuddled together on his bed. Normally, she wouldn't let adults _near_ her child's bedroom, but Tommy didn't know that Wilbur and Phil had talked to her so that they didn't weird her out, considering that they were much older than Tommy. She knew that they wanted to protect Tommy exactly like she did, so she trusted them wholeheartedly. She also knew that Tommy saw them as family, and he normally had a very good sense of when to trust someone. She smiled, took a picture of all of them, and walked out of his room.

She was going to print this and give it to Wilbur and Phil, as she knew they would like some blackmail on their normally tough brother. Family was family, and what was family without embarrassing blackmail?


	11. 'Till the End of the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories resurface into a year of Tubbo's presidency.  
> TW- Major character death, mourning, explosions, suicidal thoughts, suicide  
> READ THE TAGS, THESE ONES ARE IMPORTANT  
> READ THE TAGS, THESE ONES ARE IMPORTANT  
> READ THE TAGS, THESE ONES ARE IMPORTANT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts, please, please, _please_ talk to someone. You're not alone, no matter what you tell yourself. I'm just writing an angsty chapter today, so be prepared for the fluffiest shit you've ever seen tomorrow.
> 
> I cried while I was writing this. 
> 
> And before you ask, I'm completely fine, I just wanted to make you lot cry a bit for a change.

Today was a sunny day, and fluffy white clouds slowly made their way across the sky. Tubbo looked up at them and smiled. He was going to see Tommy today, and that always made him happy. He chose not to wear his formal suit, but instead chose to wear one of Tommy's old red and white shirts that was too big on him. It was comfortable and it smelled like his best friend, so he didn't even acknowledge how long it was on him. He made his way out of his house, and made his way over to Niki's.

When Niki saw what he was wearing, she smiled at Tubbo. She knew that he loved Tommy, but she still thought it was cute that he wore his brother's clothes from time to time.

"Hey, Tubbo! Is there anything that I can get you?"

Tubbo looked around the shop, and Niki saw _something_ in his eyes. For the past year, he had smiled and acted as though everything was okay, but there was nothing behind his smiles. She knew they were fake, and that this year had been impossible for Tubbo. Phil was here, and that helped him, but that was only so much. To see anything in those eyes made her happier than she had been all year. They had all been hit hard, but last year's events hit Tubbo the hardest of all.

"Um, can I get one of those chocolate cakes that Tommy likes, and one of my favorite honey tea-things that you can do? I'm going to see him today."

She immediately started brewing the honey tea that he likes, and she smiled sadly to herself. She was wondering why he came over to see her, as she thought that he would be by the bench today. She figured sentimental things would help today, so she happily gave the tea and cake to Tubbo without charge. She did wonder why he used present tense when referring to Tommy, but she decided not to pry.

"Tubbo, when you see Tommy, tell him hi for me, okay?"

"Okay, Niki! Thanks for the free stuff!"

With that, Tubbo left her bakery with the tea and cake, and he went up the wooden staircase to Tommy's base. He made his way over to the bench that looked over the hills, and he sat down. 

"Hey, Tommy."

He turned his head to look over at the gravestone made of cobblestone, and he shifted so his whole body was facing it. He remembered his death too vividly, and he could never seem to get the image out of his head.

_They had lost Wilbur. They didn't know where he went, but Tommy knew instantly. Despite feeling the vibrations under his feet, he ran down the street, trying to make it to Wilbur in time. Tubbo noticed that he was gone from his side, and he turned in time to see Tommy at the foot of the podium. He couldn't let out a single scream before the ground below them shook, and the grass and stone went up into the skies._

_Wilbur had detonated the TNT, and Tommy was in the middle of the explosions.  
_

_He watched in horror as he saw his best friend fly into the air and stay in front of the sun for what felt like an eternity. When they were in Pogtopia, Technoblade had told them all about the Greek myths and legends. In that moment, Tubbo thought that Tommy looked like Icarus, and Wilbur had forced him too close to the sun._

_He landed with a splash at the shallow end of the beach near the docks._

_Without thinking, Tubbo ran as fast as his legs could carry him to his brother. When he got there, he saw that Tommy was bloody and bruised, with his chest slowly rising and falling, and his eyes struggling to stay open. Tubbo went into the water and sat down on the shore with Tommy's head in his lap. He was looking up at him blearily, and he coughed before speaking._

_"Hey, Tubbo. Can you put your hands in my hair like you do sometimes? It makes me happy."_

_Tubbo instantly stated running his fingers through Tommy's tangled and singed hair, smiling down at him with tears in his eyes._

_"I love you, Tommy. I love you so, so much."_

_"I love you too, Tubbo. You're the best brother that I could've asked for. You're my best friend. I lo-"_

_Before he could get out his final words, his chest stopped moving, and his eyes glossed over. He was looking up at Tubbo, and the word it was so hard to say for him would be permanently stuck on his mouth._

_Tubbo screamed._

Tubbo realized that he had been sitting and thinking for hours, as when he snapped out of his mind, he saw that it was sunset. The sun was going to set over their base, just like how Tommy always liked to see it. He smiled as tears started to fall down his cheeks.

"It's been really hard without you here, Toms. I've tried so hard to be the president. I just can't be, not without you here. I'm handing the presidency over to Fundy, he deserved it in the first place."

The tears started to come down harder, but Tubbo kept on talking as if nothing was wrong.

"I've tried so hard, Toms. Techno is gone, Wilbur is gone, and Phil is gone as well. Without you here, there's nothing. There's no reason for me to be here anymore. I've been trying so hard to move on, but I can't. I can't do it. You were my whole world, Tommy, and you left. I miss you so, _so_ much Tommy. I can't do this alone anymore. No matter how much the others say they're with me, they're not really, Toms. You were the only one that said you would be with me 'till the end of the line."

He looked into his inventory, and slowly took out some TNT and a pressure plate. He stepped behind the bench and started to build a TNT launcher. He knew that the others were going to miss him, but they could move on. They all missed Tommy, but they accepted it. Tubbo accepted it, he just couldn't live like this anymore. He hasn't been happy in a year, and he just wanted to see his brother again. He jumped up and onto the pressure plate and he heard the cruelly familiar sound of TNT sizzling.

"See you in a bit, Toms."

He was dead before he hit the ground.

The members of New L'Manberg wondered why they heard TNT, as Tubbo had made it his first law. Niki only sank to the ground, realizing what had happened too late.

Tubbo was in a nice field of flowers and bees. He was lying down, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a smooth stone house with railroads coming out of it. The person coming out of the house dropped what he was carrying when he saw a familiar face looking back up at him. He ran over to him, as fast as his legs could carry him, and embraced his brother.

They were finally back together, and that was all that mattered to either of them in that moment.


	12. A Witch's Potion - Parenting 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An AU where the SBI grew up on the server, and the Wilbur didn't die, and where tensions between everybody have calmed down. SBI is out and about, and a witch provides trouble for some of the members.  
> TW- A teeny, tiny, little bit of angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some SBI fluff to make up for the last chapter. I would say that I'm sorry, but that would be a lie :D Anyway, expect more angst in the future ;D >:D Remember to comment if you want to, it always makes me so happy to read them!!
> 
> This is going to be in multiple parts, and I would write more now, but my fingers are about to freeze off. I'll get back to requests, don't worry! This isn't going to be in one chunk of chapters. I hope you like the AU!

Phil liked his new house in New L'Manberg. It was nice and quaint, even though most of the residents coming in and out didn't fit the soft, quiet vibe. Wilbur was yelling at Tommy for something stupid, and Tommy was yelling right back. Techno was sitting on his bed in his tattered robe, sharpening his axe and looking annoyed at the other two. Phil sighed. It was _just_ like when they were younger.

Phil had called all of them to his house after the fight with the Wither and the explosions, and he was going to try and help sort things out. He had gotten to Wilbur when it was too late, and saw him sobbing on the floor with his head in his hands as a faint _tsssss_ could be heard from behind the walls. He had begged for him to kill him, but he couldn't do it. Wilbur was his son, and he had been bottling up his emotions for months. These bottled emotions led to a very unstable mindset, which Wilbur thought he could fix with the press of a button. When he realized that the button wasn't the answer to everything, he started to sob even harder.

Phil just held him until he cried himself to sleep, and he watched what his pink-haired son did to the rest of the nation. He saw Tommy fight and fight and fight, while he saw Techno slaughter everything that came in his path. It had been a while since he had physically seen all three of his boys together, but the last thing he expected to see was a bloodbath, and he was horrified to find out that this wasn't the first war his sons fought in.

Techno was 25. Wilbur is 22. Tommy was only 16.

_16._

When the fighting was done, he carried a limp Wilbur in his arms and stepped over the rubble, going off somewhere in the forest to be there when his son woke up.

When he did wake up, he was scared, and he backed away from Phil when he tried to even talk to him. He started crying again, and Phil could see his shoulders shaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Dad, I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to escalate, I'm sorry, _Dad-"_

Phil only stated to shush him quietly, and he started petting his hair. Wilbur leaned into the touch, and Phil thought that with that reaction, he hadn't been shown and affection in months. Wilbur was never the most touchy out of his three boys, and he really only was when he was hurt. He remembered a sniffling Wilbur clinging onto his arm as they walked home from where Will fell down a hole he didn't see, and he scraped his knee quite badly. He wouldn't be surprised if there was still a scar from that accident, even though it had been years since it happened.

He only held Wilbur as he cried, just as he was doing now, and he waited for him to be done so he could talk to him.

"Wilbur, what _happened?"_

So Wilbur told him.

He told him about how after Will moved out and Tommy insisted he comes with him, they met the Dream Team, and they started a little nation on their own. He told him about the discs, about the walls, about Eret and Fundy and how Tommy was shot by Dream in a duel for L'Manberg's independence. 

He told him about the election and how he wanted to be a fairly elected leader. He told him about Schlatt and the ravine and the TNT and how he felt his mind slowly slipping away. he told him about how they met up again with Techno, who paved his own path after he left their house. He told him how stupid he was to ignore Techno when he said he hated government, and how he should have realized that he would never be on the side of L'Manberg. 

He told him about everything, and he didn't stop until his voice was hoarse voice and tear stained cheeks. 

Phil didn't know how to react. All of his kids had been put in harm's way, and they had died several times. Phil had died and respawned only a few times in his life, but each time was painful. To think that all of his sons had gone through that more times than they could could was heartbreaking to him. He told Wilbur to stay with him, and that he would fix everything. Wilbur stayed, and Phil was trying to fix everything.

It was about a month into living with Will that they got into this scenario. Wilbur had been getting so, _so_ much better, and he was acting like how he was before he left the house. He knew what happened, especially recently would hurt him forever, but he had begged forgiveness from everybody, and through the weeks and after hearing his story, they all eventually came around. He was happy about that. He knew that they all, to some extent, didn't like Wilbur, but that was to be expected. It was the face that they were tying to forgive him is what mattered. 

He had already talked to Tommy and Techno, who agreed to meet up to sort things out between all of them. Tommy was fine with Will, but he didn't like Techno for what he did to Tubbo. Wilbur was fine with both of them. Techno was irritated at both of them, at Wilbur for forming a government, and at Tommy for not letting the Tubbo thing go. He zoned back into the conversation when he heard something very interesting.

"-for the last time, you prick, there is no way in hell that I'm letting you read _How to Sex!"_

"C'mon, Tommy, I already have the second one, and I only need the first one for the full set! It would fill my sewer library."

"I still don't know why you chose to live in the sewers, man, but thank _god_ that the sewage pipe doesn't connect to anything but freshwater. I should burn that book, honestly."

"Can you nerds keep it down? My crossbow is loaded and I'm not afraid to fire if you keep this up."

"Like how you used the crossbow on Tubbo?"

"Oh, _here_ we go-"

"Enough!"

Phil silenced his sons, who all looked at him with wide eyes. He hardly ever raised his voice unless something was very confusing, very fumy, or very wrong.

"I asked you lot to come here to sort out your ridiculous fighting yourselves, but clearly, I have to do it myself. Tommy, Techno isn't sorry, but he should be. Techno, you can't murder people and not say sorry, and you can't eliminate all forms of government."

"I can try."

"Please, don't. Also, for all of you, if you start any more wars, you will never, _ever_ know my hot chocolate recipe."

It seemed like a petty threat to everyone else, but in the Sleepy Boys Incorporated household, Phil's hot chocolate was legendary. Techno would never admit it, but he would give up his netherite armor for that recipe.

"Right. I know we won't solve these issues in one night, but we can put those aside. No buts, Tommy. For now, let's just go out and explore like we used to when you were little. I don't know the area very well still. So help me, if I hear one word that could start a war, I'm burning the recipe. Does anyone know a spot?"

He said the last part with a smile, and that threw even the mighty Technoblade off. Tommy immediately shouted out a spot.

"I have a vacation home a ways away! We can take the long way and walk, and then go off to the right a bit when we hit it. I don't know what's over there, and I know everything."

They all had a chuckle at that, and they made their way to Tommy's vacation home. Phil was happy the whole way there. They were talking like brothers again, and they were having stupid conversations like they normally would. 

"Hey, Techno, have you ever just taken a bath in lava?"

"No I haven't, Tommy."

"I don't think anyone has, Tommy."

"I did, and that just drank a fire res potion and went in the lava like a diver, yeah, and I just had a good swim. My clothes weren't lava-y or anything! I did end up burning to death, but I didn't have anything on me so it was cool. It was like a warm tub until it became scalding hot. What's wrong with that, Phil? I was completely fine- hey look, we're here!"

They had stopped in front of Tommy's house, and they started to make their way around it. Tommy suddenly turned around and started walking towards the entrance. 

"Hey guys, I think I have a crap ton of arrows in here! You need any?" 

They all checked their inventories, and all of them were low on arrows except for Phil.

"You guys go in and get them, I'll stay out here."

He watched them go in, and he turned towards the moon rising. His boys were acting like themselves again, and that made him extremely happy. He was smiling to himself when he heard Tommy scream something, and he immediately dashed to the door as quickly as he could. He saw a witch inside, and he shot it down with arrows. The potion she had used on the three of them left a fog on the lower feet of the house, and he couldn't see his boys. There was no way one potion could take out all of them, so he could only wonder what happened. When the fog cleared, what he saw was better than floating items, at least.

He saw a sleeping Techno, Tommy, and Wilbur.

But they were young. 

They all looked like they were three or four, which was very cute but very shocking. All of their armor was gone, stowed away in their inventories, he guessed, and they were wearing smaller versions of their normal clothes. The only thing that didn't shrink was Techno's crown which was covering his sleeping eyes. He saw something attached to the crown, and he took it off to inspect it further.

It was a tiny slip of paper saying "One Week" in cursive. 

He tilted his head back and let out a dramatic sigh. He had seen all of them as toddlers, but not at the same time. He met Wilbur when he was six, and Tommy when he was five, so they weren't even this young. The only one he saw this young was Technoblde, and he had been reserved and quiet. He wondered if this was their bodies that had changed, or if it was their minds as well. He quickly found out when Techno sat himself up and started rubbing his eyes with his tiny little hands. He looked up at Phil, and he started to fidget with his braided hair, which was now in two braids down his head, just like how he liked them when he was younger.

"Dad? This isn' the house, where are we?"

His face started to turn a shade of pink and his piggy ears started to wobble. Phil moved without thinking, and scooped Techno into his arms. He knew that Techno was about to cry, and he didn't want that to happen. He started to pet his hair and run his hand over his back, which he knew calmed down Techno. He thought that techno was like a cat when it came to physical affection- either he loved it, or hated it. He really only started to not like touching when he started growing up, so Phil stopped touching him (unless he was crying or asked for a hug).

"I'll tell you later, Piggy, but right now, we need to get all of you home. It isn't safe here."

He let Techno down and got down on one knee, which Techno knew as the motion to get on his back. He giggled, the tears seemingly forgotten as he nuzzled his head into Phil's hair. Phil picked up the still-sleeping Tommy and Wilbur and held them in his arms, and made his way back to his house in New L'Manberg.

This was going to be an interesting week.


	13. A Witch's Potion - Don't Eat That!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio of boys get into trouble, and give Phil a mini heart attack.  
> TW- N/A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize to someone I hope reads this fic, my friend Sebby, who I sent extremely sad fanfic snippets of. If you get a letter with a spotify link for "leaves from the vine," be aware that you knew it was coming, and I'm not actually sorry.
> 
> Keep leaving comments loves I love them :'D
> 
> Also, as a person who has worked with very young kids, I envy those who haven't. They can go from crying to laughing at the drop of a hat, and half of the time you don't know what the fuck they're going to do next. If any of you little shits say this isn't accurate to how 3-4 year olds act, you try spending months working with them. Then we can talk. Okay? :D

Phil had never heard of a potion that turned people into toddlers. That witch must've made the potion using shit from the End, as none of the people on the server could make it. Now that he thought about it, the smoke it left _was_ purple, so maybe his hunch was right. Because he couldn't get to the End, he couldn't undo the potion, and his boys were stuck like this for a week.

Speaking of his boys, Techno was still currently on his back and playing with his hair while humming a song to himself. Wilbur and Tommy were still asleep in his arms, and Tommy was softly snoring. He knew that this was a problem that he should fix as soon as possible, but it wouldn't hurt them if he could have his boys back for a week. He missed their little laughter running around the house, and he missed the big puppy dog eyes all three of them gave him when it was cold and they knew that hot chocolate was coming. 

He hadn't had the opportunity to have them all at this age at the same time, but he was ready for it.

Probably.

He slowly kicked open the door to his wooden home, and placed down three more beds for his boys. A red one for Toms, a yellow one for Will, and a pink one for Techno. He was planning on them sleeping over with him already, and he was hoping a bit of slightly-embarrassing nostalgia would help smooth things along. He placed Tommy and Will in their beds, and he turned around and sat down on Techno's so he could climb off his back. As he stood up and made his way to his own bed, he felt little hands on his shirt.

"Can you stay over here, Dad?"

Phil almost knew this was going to happen, as he remembered that Techno regularly snuck into his bed while he was sleeping. He had trouble sleeping, and he had nightmares all the time when he was younger. He had managed to perfect sneaking into his bed that when he woke up in the morning, he wasn't even surprised to see Techno there, curled into his side.

He got his bed from the other side of the room and put it next to Techno's, and he pulled up his blanket. Techno immediately dashed under the covers and snuggled into his dad, and Phil put his arm around him. 

This shouldn't be too hard, right?

He woke up to loud laughter, far too early to be up. He rubbed his eyes and saw that Techno was still next to him, but Will's and Tommy's beds were empty. He bolted up and started looking for the two. he saw them going through his chest with various things, ranging from cobblestone to iron swords. He saw Wilbur and Tommy trying and failing to put on his armor, which was much to big for them. He sighed, grateful that they hadn't gotten into anything dangerous. He then watched as Tommy pulled up a crossbow and jokingly aimed it at Wilbur, which is when he intervened.

He took the crossbow from his hands, and was met with a pout.

"Toms, you can't play with that, you could get really hurt. I'm gonna move all of my dangerous things somewhere else..." 

He started to sift through is chests and he put all of the dangerous things into a chest on his roof. He didn't underestimate ridiculously curious minds, as a memory involving fire aspect and a very angry fireman made its way to the front of his mind. 

That was not a fun day.

He came home to a sobbing Wilbur and a very worried Technoblade trying to calm him down. He merely took Will into his arms, made them both hot chocolate, and told them not to play with dangerous things clearly hiding in his closet in a chest labelled "DO NOT TOUCH." How they even found that box was a mystery to him, as it was hidden behind a redstone wall. 

When Tommy came into the picture when Will and Techno were a bit older, he came home to a very irritated Techno cutting the singed ends of his hair off, while Tommy cried and apologized. 

He then decided to hide the chest six feet under the floorboards. 

When he came down from the roof, he saw present-day Tommy and Wilbur giggling to themselves, while Techno wrapped himself in a cocoon of Phil's blankets and tried to go back to sleep. He went up to the giggling kids and dropped low to their level, startling them. They turned around, with Tommy sheepishly grinning, and Will holding his hand over his mouth.

He made a sly grin at his boys, and wrapped them in his arms.

"What are you two doing?"

Tommy merely laughed in his fathers arms and started to climb all over him while Wilbur made muffled giggling noised from behind his mouth. He put down Tommy with one practiced arm, and he held Will at arm's length and smiled at his boy, faking that he was in trouble by using a more serious voice.

"Did you get into my cookies, Will?"

Will only giggled and moved his hand and he opened his mouth. Phil was absolutely horrified not to see cookies, but _sand._

"Don't eat that!"

He put down a laughing and now-coughing Will, and he frantically looked around for a healing potion. He never, in a million years, would've thought that his sons would've found entertainment in eating sand and almost suffocating themselves, but here he was. He sat Will down on the bed and told him to drink the potion, and he let out a sigh of relief to hear Will stop coughing, and the pink bubbles of the potion working their magic. Wilbur giggled and popped the bubbles, while Techno looked at them like they were the coolest thing he had ever seen. 

"Wihlbr, lork!"

He turned around to see Tommy with a mouthful of sand, and he was smiling up at Wilbur and his dad. Phil let out a panicked shriek and chased his son around with the now half-full potion of healing and forced Tommy to drink it. Tommy was very stubborn about it until Wilbur said it tasted like strawberries. After hearing that Will, his obviously all-knowing big brother said, he spat out the sand and drank the rest of the potion, and he ran around the house trying to pop the bubbles that came off of him. Phil stopped him and placed him on his bed where the other two were.

He gave them a very stern look, and they all got very worried. Phil only used that look when something they did was wrong, even though they thought that eating sand was completely fine.

"Boys, you can NOT eat sand. You'll get very hurt, and I won't be able to help you every time. I only have so many potions of healing. Do you understand me?"

Tommy and Will nodded guiltily, while Techno sank into his blanket. He saw two wobbling pig ears poking out, and he unwrapped Techno and held him up to his level. The crying boy looked up at him with big sad eyes, and he sniffled.

"What's wrong, piggy? You didn't eat the sand, I just told your brothers not to. You did nothing wrong."

Techno let out a sob and rubbed his eyes.

"You yelled at them...!"

He then started to cry harder, which only made Will and Tommy start crying. He hadn't even raised his voice at them! He wrapped them all up in his blanket and hugged the sobbing mess. He shushed them and told them it was going to be okay, but that didn't stop them from crying.

"Hey, I know a baker! Do you want to ask her if she has any cookies?"

They all stopped crying and let out cheers of excitement, scrambling to the door and shoving their shoes on. They pushed the door open and made their way onto the path outside, waiting with wide eyes at their dad, and ushering him to bring them to the cookies. 

It wasn't even ten o' clock yet.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

Niki had hardly woken up herself and had only just turned the sign over from closed to open when she heard the bell over her door ringing, and she wondered who on _earth_ was up this early. None of her friends were early risers, so she really had no clue. When she turned around with her customer service smile (even though it was almost always genuine), she was not expecting to see a distraught Philza with a child in his arms, and two more at his feet barging into her shop. 

"Wh-what? What happened? Who-?"

"I can explain. Do you have any cookies?"

She nodded and made her way over to the counter, still shocked at what happened. 

"Right, boys, what kind of cookies do you want?"

The two on their feet ran up to her glass counter and smushed their faces against it, looking at what there was to offer. This was a dream come true for them, really. They were going to eat cookies in the morning when Phil only let them have them after dinner, and they were still leaving behind a trail of pink bubbles. They looked back up at him, and yelled their choices at almost the same time.

"Chocolate chip!"

"Peanut butter n' chocolate!"

He pulled emeralds out of his inventory and started counting what he needed, when he moved his arm so the boy clinging to him could talk.

"What do you want, Techno?"

"Sugar cookie with sprinkles, please!"

He laughed to himself. They all got their favorite cookies from when they were younger, and they were over the moon for them. Niki only looked up with wide eyes at Phil.

_"Techno?"_

He sighed and handed her the money while she got the cookies.

"I'll tell you how it happened. Boys, you wanna pick a table?"

The two boys on the floor nodded and went to the table by the window, waiting for their dad and brother to come over with the cookies. He set Techno down, assuming that he wanted to wait with his brothers, but he latched onto his leg and peered at Niki from behind it.

Niki only giggled, still not believing that this shy little thing was Technoblade the Blood God. They made their way over to the table, cookies and Niki in tow, and Phil started to explain what happened while the boys ate their cookies.

After he was done explaining, Will was currently climbing into Niki's lap, and Tommy was bugging Techno underneath the table. Niki put her arms around the little Will, who loved the attention he was getting. 

"Do you want to stay here for a bit? The outside isn't exactly 'child-proofed'"

There was a chorus of enthusiastic yeses from under the table and from Niki's lap. They laughed at how eager they were to stay, and Phil mouthed a grateful thank you to Niki. He was going to need help with this, even though he thought he could deal with it alone.

It wasn't even noon and he already wanted to go back to bed.

He asked Niki for a cup of coffee which she happily started to make, which Wilbur wasn't happy about. He wanted to stay with his new best friend, and Phil told him that she didn't need a koala on her back while she was trying to do things. Instead of physically being on her, he clung to her legs and pouted, while Niki barked out laughter at how clingy younger Will was.

"Phil, when did you meet all of them?"

Phil smiled into his coffee cup, remembering how he met each of his boys. 

"Do you want to hear the whole story?"

Niki nodded eagerly, and she sat down on the chair in front of Phil. Wilbur climbed onto her lap once again, and she started running her fingers through his hair. Techno and Tommy were laughing hysterically somewhere else in the store, but Niki told Phil that all dangerous objects were put away, and you needed a key to open the counter to get to the pastries. When Phil knew that another sand accident wasn't going to happen, he started telling Niki the story of how he met his sons.

"Well, I met Techno first, so I'll start there."

He honestly remembered it like it was yesterday, even though it was more than ten years ago. He was twentysomething when it happened, but that wasn't important.

_Phil was on his way into the forest, leaving the small village he stayed in for a few days. He had a small home a ways away and stayed there happily for three years, but he decided it was time to move. He was well into the forest when he heard a rustling in the bushes. It was nighttime, so he expected it to be mobs. He drew his sword, ready to fight._

_What came out of the bushes was not a mob, but a little kid that couldn't have been any more than three. He was sniffling into his hands, and he looked up at Phil. Even though he was a complete stranger, he ran into Phil, crying, and hugged his legs. Phil had no idea what to do, he wasn't good with kids!_

_He awkwardly picked up the kid and held him to his chest, and the kid wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him like he was his actual parent._

_"Is something wrong? Where are your parents?"_

_The kid started to cry harder, and he hugged him tighter. Phil sat down at the base of a tree and started to rub his back. He started top calm down, and he heard him speak._

_"My parents were, um, in the place, and they saw I was different- *sniff* they told me to wait out here a bit ago, and they ha-haven't come back!"_

_Phil was shocked. Different or not, that was a_ child _that these people abandoned. He pushed the kid off of him and took a closer look at him. He had pink hair that was knotted and dirty, he had red eyes that were filled with tears. He had two little teeth sticking out from his bottom lip, and he had ears resembling those of a pig. He had heard of hybrids, but he had never seen one._

_He started to try and calm down the kid, and he stood back up, with the kid in tow._

_"Can you tell me your name?"_

_"I-I'm Technoblade."_

_"I'm Phil. Do you want to come with me?"_

_"Yes please. Thank you, Dad."_

_Phil didn't know what to say to that. If he was Techno's dad in his eyes, then he was going to be the best damn father on the planet. To throw out your own child just because they're different is awful, and whoever did that doesn't deserve to call themselves parents._

_He and Techno slept in a cave for the night, and Phil gave Techno his cape to use as a blanket. After the sun had risen, they saw a huge plain filled with flowers and a hill at the end of it._

_"I think we should built our house up there. What do you say, Techno?"_

_He was met with a sleepy nod._

"Me and piggy have been together ever since, but he left the house around three years ago to do his own thing. I missed him when he left, I really did."

"To think that someone would throw out their own child is _disgusting._ Was he always so loud and scary?"

Phil chuckled at that.

"Nah, Techno was really shy and super clingy when he was younger. Whenever I hugged him when he was adult and he let me give him a hug, it was like he was a kid again. I'm tellin' you, I know he's a piglin hybrid, but I swear he has some cat in there, I swear. Where is Techno, actually? Tommy was with him, and from when he was little, he was as if the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' was put into a human."

Phil stood up from the table and left Niki giggling with a now-dozing Will on her lap. He wondered about the store, and he didn't see them. If they left, he would've heard the bell, so they were still here. 

"Uhm, Niki, I think they might be in your room. Can I go in?"

She stood up and help Will in her arms, who unconsciously snuggled into her. 

"My room is really messy right now, and I don't want you to see that. I can look for them. Can you take Wilbur?"

She handed him off to Phil, and he watched as Niki went into her room. Phil heard a loud bout of laughter, and she ushered him into her room. 

Tommy and Techno were sitting at her vanity and were playing with her makeup. Techno was trying to follow the model on one of the packages, but Tommy was just drawing on his face. Phil let out a laugh, a real, wholehearted laugh, and went over to his boys.

"What are you two doing?"

"Looking pretty! Is my listick okay?"

Phil looked at Techno, who's 'listick' was a bit messy, but it was actually pretty good.

"It looks awesome, piggy! You should have asked Niki permission to use her makeup, though."

Techno immediately got worried and started to spew out apologies, while Niki already told him that it was fine.

"You guys can use my makeup anytime you want. Do you want me to do your makeup, Techno?"

Phil watched his son light up at that, and he took a makeup wipe and started to wipe off the lipstick.

"Can you make it all pink, please?"

Niki laughed and got to work on his makeup. He was very patient, and he was extremely thankful when it was done. He hada bit of blush and lipstick on, and Niki even managed to make him still enough to get some mascara on. Techno was now pacing around the room wearing a blanket as a cape, and he was waving to his fake fans on his imaginary runway. 

The boys didn't have to know about the picture he took, but he would show Niki.

Techno was strutting on the floor of her room with makeup and a cape, Tommy, whose face was full of scribbles and shapes of various colors was sitting in the vanity chair, striking a pose. Niki was kneeling on the floor, laughing, as she clapped for the two mini-models in her room. Wilbur had somehow made it to the floor, and was sleeping with his face pushed into the floor. 

It was perfect.


	14. So Sorry, Readers

I can't post a chapter today. I'm so McTired and kinda sad, and my energy is just gone today :'D


	15. I'll Keep You Safe, Whether You Like It or Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream starts seeing Tommy as someone who he needs to protect, and he takes it into his own hands to do just that  
> TW- manipulation, Stockholm syndrome, overprotective character, minor PTSD, nightmares, panic attacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think my uploads are going to be daily, but I can try. These are going to happen often, I hope, but not every day. I'll try not to ghost you guys, either. I hope that you like the chapter, and I hope you leave a comment! :D

Tommy didn't like being in exile. He didn't like it at all.

It had been a month, maybe even more, and the only consistent company he had was that green bastard. He didn't like when Dream came over, it made him nervous, at first. It was his fault that he was in this mess, and he seemed to put salt in the fresh wound every time he came over. He forced him to blow up his armor, and he seemed to like it every time. 

He didn't like when he did that. He could always get the iron back, but it would take him a long time. What really put him off was Dream's use of TNT. he didn't know why he had to use it, when fire or lava would do a perfectly good job, but he insisted on using the thing that made Tommy flinch.

Not one person had visited Tommy, and if they did they did it because they had something to give him. There was no conversation, no nothing. The only person who would talk to him was Dream, and around two weeks into the exile he talked back to him.

He was tired and it was raining when he opened his mouth. Dream had just come out of the Nether portal and was wading his way through the shallow water around him, trying to get to Tommy. He was surprised to see Tommy at the entrance of the portal, his things already in a hole in the grass. Dream got a good look at him then.

His clothes were ripped, his hair was matted, there were bags under his lifeless eyes and he was shivering. He was starting up at Dream with those lifeless eyes, and Dream was shocked he didn't notice them before. The usual spark was gone, and those blue eyes just looked sad and empty. He was more shocked when Tommy opened his mouth and spoke, his voice cracking from disuse.

"Dream? Can you not use TNT today? Please?"

He looked so scared, but Dream only smiled behind his mask. 

"Why not? You know the drill, Tommy."

Tommy shifted under his gaze, and Dream had never seen him like this. He was so nervous and he made himself smaller. Dream knew that the exile was difficult for him, but he didn't know it would effect him like this. His smile faltered.

"No reason, but can't you use lava or some shit? You could spice things up for today, Big D."

"There's no reason for me to stop doing what I was doing before, so I'm just going to keep using TNT."

He pulled it out of his pocket, and then Tommy was in front of him, a hand on his wrist and blue eyes looking into his. Those eyes finally had some emotion in them. Those eyes were full of pure, unfiltered fear.

He slowly put his TNT away, and he saw Tommy sag in relief. 

"You can keep your stuff today, I don't care."

Tommy looked up at him, something like hope in those eyes.

"...If you tell me why you didn't want me to use TNT."

That hope shattered, and the fear was back. He looked up to the sky, and he got his things out of the hole he had dug. He motioned for Dream to follow him, and they made their way to his white tent. Tommy sat down on his bed, and Dream, just sat down on the floor. He could see and hear the storm coming closer from the ocean, but Tommy didn't seem to notice.

"Look I'll tell you, just shut up and listen, and don't laugh."

Dream only chuckled, amused that he was still being rude to him even though he was obviously missing people. Dream thought he was, anyway. He sat up straight as he listened to Tommy talk.

"I get nightmares sometimes, okay? Normally I can shake them off because I'm a big man, but last night's... that one really hurt."

_He was underground, and he was surrounded by his friends. He was confident and happy in the dream, and he knew he was doing something important. Everything was normal until someone was suddenly in front of them, and their hand was hovering over an oh-so familiar button. He could see his mouth moving, but no words came out. The button was pressed, and they were slaughtered._

_The dream brought him outside then, the previous event forgotten. He was inside the walls and staring up at something he couldn't see. He looked to his right to see his land get blown up, and suddenly TNT was falling from the sky. He was running, doing something, anything to avoid getting hit, but their attackers had an aerial view, and they saw where he was running. he felt something hit his back and knock him down, and he was pushed into the ground be the TNT, slaughtered again._

_He stood up, and he was in a tiny room with someone in front of him. There were words carved into the walls and a button in front of them, and he knew that he had to stop this person from pressing it. He didn't want to die, not again. He managed to drag them away, and he sealed up the room behind them. He thought he was safe._

_He was outside again, running towards a noise he knew too well. He had heard it before; it had hurt him before. The ground underneath him shook, and he was launched into the air as TNT blew up his nation. There was a Wither next to him, two of them, actually, and they were blasting him towards the other using more explosions. It was like a cruel game of ping-pong, and it amused no one but the cruel mobs that threw him around like a ragdoll._

_Suddenly, the Withers were gone, and he was falling. He was above the clouds, and he was falling to his nation that he built with his hands. He could see the destroyed ground below him, and there was nothing he could do to stop the impact. He braced himself-_

_He jolted out of bed with a start. He was crying, panting heavily, and he didn't know where he was. He hugged his legs to his chest, ans tucked his head between his knees._

_He stayed like that until the sun came up._

He didn't realize that he was crying. He didn't even realize that he had said anything out loud. He looked up from his lap to see Dream in front of him, his mask off. He didn't even have time to react to his face when a loud clap of thunder was heard right near him, and he let out a scream. He curled into himself and he started to panic. He was back in his dreams, he was getting hurt, getting killed, he was going to _die-_

Hands were on his shoulders, and he was being forced to look into green eyes that he had only seen glimpses of. 

"I-"

Another crack of thunder was heard, and he screamed again. His hands were over his ears, and he was mumbling to himself.

"No, no, no, don't kill me, don't hurt them, please, no, too loud, I can't, I can't, I _can't-!"_

"Tommy!"

His mumbling stopped, but he was still curled in on himself. 

"I'm going to move you, okay? I know you don't want me to help you, but I have to right now. You're working yourself up, and you're going to end up passing out. Just hold onto me, okay? Drink this."

He handed Tommy a black potion, one that Wilbur had messed up and gave to him in case he ever had to use it. It was a blindness potion. He knew that having too many things going on at once could cause someone to panic even more, and he didn't want that to happen. He hoped that not being able to see would calm Tommy down an bit, and his suspicions were correct when he heard a relieved, broken sigh. He put his own mask on Tommy for good measure, and he hooked his arm underneath his knees and behind his back. Nervous hands snuck around his neck, and a head of blonde hair was under his chin. 

He set of running, the crying teen in his arms to the Nether portal which he remembered being closer. Another crack was in their ears, and Tommy only grasped onto him tighter. He ran through the portal, and he was in the Nether. He set Tommy down on a natural netherrack step, and he put his hands on his shoulders again.

"Tommy, listen to me. Just listen to my voice, okay? Can you tell me five things that you can see?"

"Oh my god, they're here, the TNT, the explosions, Tubbo-"

" _Tommy._ "

He stopped. 

"Breathe with me, okay? In.. and out. Can you copy that?"

He saw that Tommy was silently taking in small breaths to match his breathing with Dream's, and his shoulders stopped shacking. He was happy that he could breathe properly again, because he was worried that Tommy was going to make himself faint.

"Thank you, Tommy. Do you want to take the mask off?"

"No..."

"Okay, that's fine. Can you tell me four things that you can feel, instead of see?"

Tommy slowly moved his hands around, feeling the tough rough red stone around him.

"I uhm, I can feel the rocks, your mask, my hair, and my shirt."

"Thank you, Tommy. Three things you can hear, now."

"A fire, the portal whooshing and shit, and the lava."

"Almost done, okay? Two things you can smell."

"The fire, and the rain."

"And one thing that you can taste."

"The blindness potion. Doesn't taste very good, actually."

Dream chuckled at that, happy that Tommy was going back to his old self. He sat down next to Tommy and was shocked when he turned and hugged him. His arms were around his shoulders, and he was wrapped around him so hard that he thought that Tommy might hurt himself. His head was in between Dream's shoulder and his neck, and he was slowly taking in breaths. 

Dream slowly put his arms around Tommy, and he relaxed into the hug. 

"Thank you, Dream."

The mumbled statement was acknowledged with small rubs on his back. Dream looked down at Tommy, really looked, and the reality of what he had done came crashing down on him like a ton pf bricks.

He caused two sixteen year olds to fight in a war when they could have just talked.

He killed them and ruined their nation. 

He watched and did nothing as Schlatt exiled a child and his older brother.

He helped Will's insanity.

He hurt Tommy.

A _child._

He had given a child so much mental baggage and had done nothing about it. He didn't even think about the repercussions until just that second. Tommy, his enemy, was so hurt and alone that he was seeking out comfort in his enemy, the man he hated the most. He had trusted him with his nightmares, his trauma, and he had broken down in front of his enemy.

_What had he done to Tommy?_

He looked down at the now-sleeping teen, and he saw him in a new light. 

He had to protect him. He was like his little brother, and he was hurting his brother without even knowing it. He would keep Tommy safe from whatever came in his way, and that was a promise. Dream scooped up Tommy in his arms and made his way through the portal. It was still pouring rain, and the thunder and the lighting were still booming and crashing in the sky. He took out his communicator and tweaked the weather a bit. He hardly ever abused his host powers like this, but he felt like he had to right then.

Suddenly, the rain quieted, and the clouds dispersed to reveal a clear sky full of stars. A warm and comforting breeze washed over them, and the trees around them swayed and the water at their feet rippled. Dream walked to Tommy's tent and set him down on the bed and turned to leave. A hand was grasping at his wrist, and he turned to the barely-awake Tommy.

"Stay, please?"

Dream silently took out another bed and placed it next to Tommy's. Tommy turned to Dream and snuggled into him, and Dream wrapped his arms around him. 

He was going to make sure no one hurt Tommy no matter what.

Tommy woke up feeling more well rested than he had in a while. He didn't remember going to bed, and he _certainly_ didn't remember snuggling into Dream like a fucking cat. The man in question was still asleep, his hand in Tommy's hair and his breathing slow. He wanted to jump up and ask Dream what the fuck he was doing, but he couldn't.

He hadn't had something as simple as a high-five in weeks, and he needed human contact. Will couldn't touch him, and he was never a vert touchy-feely person to begin with. Having someone hug him, even though he didn't like him, was better than nothing. The only person who knew he was so tactile was Tubbo, and he couldn't see him anymore.

He missed Tubbo. He really did. 

Dream would do in the meantime, he figured. He inched his way closer to Dream, and went back to sleep. 

Dream woke up a couple hours later, and he silently went back to sleep, smiling to himself that Tommy was still wearing his mask. 

The next weeks were confusing to Tommy. Dream stopped blowing up his things, and he was acting much nicer to him. He was telling him about the events in new L'Manberg, and he told him how Tubbo was doing. Tommy had asked why Tubbo hadn't seen him, but Dream only shrugged. 

Tommy didn't need to know that Tubbo had begged to go see Tommy, but Dream told him that Tommy had moved tens of thousands of blocks away. He saw the tears swell up in Tubbo's eyes, but he didn't say anything. He turned away and headed to the portal, not giving any indication to Tubbo that Tommy was really only a walk away.

Tubbo could hurt Tommy. Tommy had told Dream when he woke up from another nightmare that he dreamt that Tubbo had grew horns like Schlatt, and that he was laughing when he kicked him out. That one had hurt Tommy, much like the first one Dream had witnessed. He actually managed to hyperventilate so much that he actually passes out, and that scared Dream.

He frantically shook his shoulders, yelling for Tommy to wake up, worried that the had died. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Tommy take in a deep breath, and he knew that he was alive. 

Tubbo had done this to Tommy. He made him panic. He made him faint.

Tubbo would never be forgiven for what he did to Tommy.

When Tommy woke up, he saw worried eyes over him, and he went to hug Dream. He didn't want Dream to worry, especially not about him. 

Tommy didn't protest when Dream started to stick to him by the hip.

He was becoming _happy_ again, and he no longer looked like he was going to pass out every time he shut his eyes. His loud, boisterous laugh was back, and he was laughing at the jokes that his brother made. He looked up to Dream, seemingly forgetting about all of the things he did. He liked this version, the one that let him steal his hoodies and laugh at his inappropriate jokes. This Dream was here now, so the other one didn't matter.

He didn't care that no one else came to visit him, because he had Dream. Dream would protect him, and he would keep him safe. 


	16. The Adventures of Blob Dream and Eret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream miscalculates the date of his transformation, and is left with a confused king.  
> TW- A teeny-tiny bit of violence, but not really

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have heard your numerous requests, and blob Dream is back in another chapter!! You guys can comment who you want to see him with next, and I will happily write it. I hope that you guys don't mind the inconsistent updating, but school work has been piling VERY high up recently, and I had to take a break form this to do it.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos!! I will write angst next probably so just a head's up >:D
> 
> BY THEY WAY!! There was an extra little scene to this, but I had to re-write this chapter, and I really didn't want to go through the hassle of writing that again. If you guys want a scene where Sap and Gogy are looking for Dream, just let me know!

Sapnap and George weren't happy when they found out that _Niki_ knew Dream's secret instead of them. He tried to explain that it was just the off timing, but they were still salty about it. He promised them that they would see this one, and that there would be nothing in their way. He was going to stay in the house for a whole week in case it came early again, and he wouldn't lock himself away in any rooms in the house. Especially not the bathroom.

That was an experience that he would take with him to the grave.

He shuddered even thinking about it. 

It was the very start of the month when he felt sick again. There was no way that his transformation would come this early, so he probably had a cold again. His transformations hadn't been sporadic since they started years ago, and last time was just an off week. It happened sometimes, there was nothing he could do about it.

He was making his way from the Nether portal when nausea hit him like a truck. 

_It's only the third!_

Dream looked around him, and saw that he only had one house to hide in. Eret's castle was massive, so if he hid properly, he wouldn't even know he was there! He would use Alyssa's old house, but Tubbo said he was using it for something, and he didn't want Tubbo to see him like this. 

Dream ate a golden apple and dashed to the castle. The apple made him feel better if only for a moment, so he could move around and speak for as long as the apple would last without falling over. He ran up the stairs and into the courtyard, not knowing that Eret was sitting on his throne, and that he saw Dream run into his house. 

Dream knew from experience that using any sort of energy from a potion or a gap would wipe him out immediately, but he thought that he would last longer than that. The bubbles stopped forming around him and he sank to his knees, putting his hands on the base of the fountain. He was panting heavily, and Eret jumped out of his throne and made his way to Dream.

"Dream! Are you alright? Was there a witch that got you? I have milk if you need it-"

"Leave.. please, Eret..."

"What? I'm not _leaving_ you like this, you obviously need help!"

"That's what Niki said, too"

He laughed to himself about the similarity of the situation, and he knew that Eret, like Niki, was not going to take no for an answer. 

_Sap and George are gonna be pissed about this one..._

"Just... don't freak out. Okay?"

Eret was left confused, but he soon came to understand what Dream meant when he heard a _poof_ and saw Dream's body disappear. His armor was still lying on the ground, but his things didn't scatter. He didn't die, so what happened?

His questions were answered when a little white blob fell out of Dream's helmet and onto its face. The blob rolled over to pick itself up, and it looked at Eret with worried eyes. 

"Dream? Is that you?"

A nod.

"Are you okay?"

Another nod.

"Um, okay. Do you want to come with me for the day?"

A very enthusiastic nod from Dream. Eret laughed, thinking it was funny how odd this little blob looked nodding. His whole body moved up and down, not just his head. He picked up Dream and put him on his shoulder while he picked up Dream's armor and put it in his enderchest. He laughed again when Dream smashed his face into his hair and started nuzzling him like a cat.

He took Dream off his shoulder and held him with both of his hands in front of him. 

"You knew this was going to happen, yeah? You said Niki had the same reaction, so she knows about this. Do Sapnap and George know? Do you want me to bring you over to them?"

Dream seemed to sag a bit in his hands, and his eyes looked guilty. Since Dream only seemed to have a smile on his face, all of his emotion was shown through his eyes. For being two little black dots, they showed a lot of emotion. Dream wiggled around in his hands and slowly shook his head. He wiggled a bit more, and Eret took this as a sign that he wanted to be let down. As soon as Dream was on the floor, he was hopping over to his chests and started rummaging through his things.

"And people call Tommy a gremlin when Dream is right over here.."

Dream stuck his head out from inside one of his chests and glares at Eret. He went back inside the chest and came out with a book in his mouth. He dropped it to the floor and he ungracefully fell to the floor, landing on his face again. 

Eret laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes.

When he was done with his laughing fit, he saw that Dream had written something in the book, the quill still in his mouth. Eret picked up the notebook and read what Dream had wrote.

_I was going to tell Sap and George about this, but the days it happens keep changing. Last time I was with Niki a few days before it was supposed to happen, but this is weeks before it was supposed to happen. Please don't tell anyone, Eret._

Eret looked down at Dream who had been staring at him the entire time he read the page. He picked him up again and put him on his shoulder. 

"No worries, Dream! You can chill here for as long as you want. Are you sure you want to come with me for the day?"

Dream nodded again and puffed up his chest.

"Alrighty then. You're going to have to stay up here because I don't want you getting hurt or lost. We're going to the Nether, okay?"

A slower nod from Dream. He had never gone in the Nether like this, but he trusted that Eret would keep him safe. They made their way through the portal and Eret immediately went in a way that Dream had never gone before. A left here, a right there, going up, going down, crossing a lava lake and going up some more.

They ended up in a place that no one had been in before, as there were no torched or cobblestone markers to be seen. It was just an area of the normal Nether, no forests or soulsand around them. This is apparently what Eret was looking for, as he started to dig the veins of gold. 

"I could go mining for gold on the surface, but every cave within miles of us have been looted. My pickaxe has looting on it so I figured that mining nuggets down here would be the most effective. I can make more ingots with more nuggets, and more blocks with more ingots."

Eret stopped talking after he said that. He just went about mining gold nuggets, mining vein after vein, block after block. He was obviously concentrating, as he didn't look up at any noise Dream heard, or any movement Dream made. They had been down there for what felt like hours, and Dream saw that Eret had gotten more than enough gold than what he thought he came down here for.

Dream was getting bored. 

With Niki, they were together, talking and chatting all day, even though it was only Niki who was doing the actual talking. She talked to Dream and let him go through her chests, and she payed attention when he wiggled to show or tell her something.

Eret seemed to forget that Dream was even there, despite him being on his shoulder. No amount of wiggling was getting him anywhere, so he leaned down...

And he bit Eret's ear.

Eret stopped mining with a yelp, and he took Dream in his hand. He looked angry, but is eyes gave him away. 

"Have I not been paying attention to you, Dream?"

Dream shook his head vigorously, trying to get his point across. Eret seemed to get the hint, and he looked around. He was strip mining in a cliffside, and he knew that if he mined down just a few blocks that they would both fall in the lava.

"I suppose that we have been down here for a bit, so I think that we can head up. Is that okay with you, Mr. Attention-Seeker?"

Dream only leaned down and bit his wrist.

Eret laughed again, and he made the long way over to the portal. It was a miracle that he had written down the coordinates or else they would be stuck down there until someone came in to get them out. It was a long and twisted path, so trying to find them would be difficult. He was just happy that he wrote down the coords, and he was even happier when they got to breathe fresh air.

Compared to the Nether, the overworld was freezing. It didn't help the fact that it was the almost winter, so the breeze was cold and there was frost on the grass. Dream shivered, and he nuzzled into Eret to keep warm. Eret had his armor to keep him warm, but Dream had nothing. He quickly made his way to his palace, not wanting Dream to get colder than he already was.

He walked up the spiral stairs and made his way to his bedroom. He set Dream on his bed as he took off his armor and put it in his enderchest along with Dream's. When he turned around, he saw Dream under the covers, already fast asleep. He chuckled to himself at the smiling blob and went to go to bed himself. He put on his pajamas and had took a shower, brushing his teeth afterwards. He climbed into bed, giving Dream his space, and he went to sleep.

When he woke up, Dream was laying on top of him, his blob form looking almost melted into his chest.

He had never seen a physical deception of "relaxed" until that moment. He started to pet Dream, letting him know that it was time to get up. The tint blob blearily looked up at him, and he rolled off of his chest. Eret got up and stretched, looking at Dream, who was burrowing his way into the blankets.

He picked him up and set him on the bed.

"Do you want to come with me again?"

Dream did a little dance, and it made Eret laugh.

"Does that mean yes?"

He was met with another happy shimmy.

"Alright, we're going to the Nether again."

Dream stopped dancing, and he glared up at Eret. He fell to his back, and dramatically rolled off. Eret picked him up, and he put him on his shoulder. 

"Don't worry! I brought a book and quill so you can do something while I’m mining.”

Dream only glared at Eret, but he was happy that he was going to have something to do.

As they made their way into the Nether, Eret went in a completely new direction than the day before. Dream thought that he must’ve swept the area of gold, so they had to go to a new area. When Eret thought they were in a good spot, he put down Dream, and he started to build.

He built a small cobblestone square and placed Dream on top of it. He placed a small string of redstone going to a noteblock, and he placed a button in front of Dream.

”Fundy was meddling with this, and he made it super loud. If something is wrong, press the button, and I’ll be over to you in a second. I’ll check on you every once in a while as well. Here’s your book, by the way. Ring if you need me!” 

With that, Eret was gone, and Dream was left alone with his book. He wasn’t the best artist, but he could try. He figured that they were going to be in the Nether for a while, considering how long they were in there yesterday. With a small sigh, Dream got to work on his drawing.

They had been in the Nether for hours, and Eret had moved them several times. 

He completed wiped every area of gold, and then it was off to a new spot. He was curious every time Dream hastily hid his book, but he wasn’t going to pry. He was digging some gold out of the ground when he heard the loud ring of the noteblock off in the distance. He instantly dropped what he was doing and sprinted to where Dream was.

When he found Dream, some piglins were swarmed around him, and they were jabbing into him with their sharp nails and swords. Eret flew into action, chopping down every piglin he saw. 

He was completed focused into the battle. He swung his sword at every mob that was in his path, and he he put all of his effort into every jab. Piglins were dropping like flies, and their loot was scattered over the floor. Some had the idea to run when they realized that they were outmatched, and Eret let them leave. 

When no piglins remained, he stood among the piles of loot, and he scanned the ground for the little white blob. He heard a snort behind him, and his blood went cold with what he saw. 

A piglin that had run away in the midst of the fight had a blob in his hands, and he was holding it over a pool of lava. Dream hadn’t _poofed_ away, so he obviously want dead, but he wasn’t moving. Even from a ways away, Eret saw cuts in Dream, and small patches of bright red burns, sticking out against the white body. Eret thought that something would happen with the piglins, so he came prepared.

He took an armor stand out of his inventory, and he slowly put a whole set of enchanted golden armor on it. The message was clear- give Dream back, and the armor was his.

The piglin chucked Dream aside, and ran to the armor stand, admiring the set that was now all his. Eret ran to the still blob on the floor, and he cradled it in his arms. His eyes were closed, and he had so, _so_ many cuts and burns on his tiny body. Eret took out the paper with the portal coordinated on it and set off at a sprint to get to the portal.

As soon as the portal was in view, Eret let out a relived sigh. He ran through the portal, and as soon as he saw the light of the stars, he made a mad dash to his castle, Dream still in his arms. He went to his bedroom and placed Dream on the bed, and he went to the various chests in his room, looking for supplies. Dream was so small like this, so gauze wouldn’t do much, and he couldn’t exactly eat an entire golden apple.

”Okay, Dream, all I can really give you is healing potions, so it’s going to have to do. They’re all downstairs, so sit tight for just a little bit.” 

Eret sprinted down the stairs and rummaged through his chests, gathering as many healing and regeneration potions as he could find. When he came back into his room, potions in hand, he was surprised to see a full-sized Dream on his bed, trying to take off his bloodied hoodie. Eret went over to help Dream, and he went back to his potions after his shirt was off. There were burns and cuts all over his torso and his back, and there were even some in his arms and his neck. Eret sighed, knowing that this was going to be difficult.

"This is going to hurt, Dream, so please just work with me here."

Eret began the long task of dressing Dream's wounds, and Dream was miraculously patient through the process. He would let out a grunt of pain every once and a while, but the rest of the experience was silent. When he was properly bandaged, he sat up, at looked at Eret.

"Thank you, Eret. I can trust you. I know that our relationship has been rocky at times, but I feel like I can really trust you now. Thank you, Eret. I really mean that. By the way, did you get the book?"

"Oh, yeah, I got it. I think I shoved it in a chest downstairs while I was getting potions, but I'll go get it. It was really no problem, Dream. I know that I can trust you as well, and I feel like I can come to you if you ever need anything. You can always come to me. I'll get the book now, just sit tight."

While Eret left the room, Dream took off his mask. He could trust Eret with this. He trusted Niki with it as well, so it was only fair. Eret walked back into the room, book in hand, and that book was instantly dropped to the floor in the shock of seeing Dream's face. Dream let out a loud wheeze, and he made the 'gimme' hand gesture at Eret. He picked the book back off the floor, and handed it to Dream. Dream flipped through the pages, and stopped on one in particular.

"I made this for you when we were in the Nether. Kind of as a thank you, I guess? Sorry if it's cringy, but I wanted to give you something."

He held the notebook out to Eret, who let out a loud 'aww' at its contents.

It was a picture that looked like it was drawn by a child, and it was of Dream and Eret holding hands in the Nether. Instead of responding with words, Eret went over to Dream and pulled him into a tight hug, which the blonde immediately returned. Dream pulled away sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck, looking at Eret.

"I'm happy you like it. I know you've already done more than enough, but can I crash at your place tonight? I can't really move around like this."

"Oh yeah, it's no problem! I'll sleep in a guest room or something, and you can sta- oh."

Dream was patting the space beside him on the bed, and he was looking at Eret expectantly. He laughed and shucked off his armor, getting under the covers with Dream.

"Hey Eret?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if we, like, cuddle?"

"The mighty Dream is a cuddle bug?"

"Shut up, is it a yes or a no?"

"It's a yes, now get over here."

Dream wormed his way under Eret's arms, and he put his arm over Eret's chest. Eret only laughed and started to rub Dream's back. 

They didn't wake up until noon, and they stayed snuggled together for the rest of the day.


	17. Would You Two Shut Up?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and George are arguing with each other and blaming themselves for what happened to their friend, when that friend decided to intervene.  
> TW- mild violence, and arguing
> 
> PS- Sorry for the shorter chapter! :'D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo!! I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a bit, but school exists, and that kind of messes things up. It _is_ almost winter break, so you can hopefully expect more chapters in the future! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, and please leave comments and kudos!! :D

George and Dream rushed into George's house, an unconscious Sapnap in Dream's arms. George ushered Dream to his bed, and Sapnap was set down onto it. George was instantly taking off Sapnap's shirt and cleaning his wounds, checking the rest of his body for cuts and bruises. This was worse than what they normally went through, even for their standards. 

George was gently applying a disinfectant to Sapnap's wounds, and he realized that there were more than he thought there were. There were scratches on the back of his arms, of his neck, and there were several deeper cuts on his chest. George even saw bits of blood on his pants, and he was shocked to thing that Sapnap had even been hit that much. He was weary to take off his pants and bandage him, even though he knew he had to. The last time they had to wrap up Sapnap's legs, he wasn't wearing anything underneath his pants.

_Anything._

The three of them didn't bring that day up.

"Dream, can you get his legs? There are a lot of cuts up here that I need to clean.."

"Yeah, I'll do it... Oh thank god he's wearing underwear. Will you pass me some of the gauze, George?"

He silently handed the roll to Dream, who grunted in return. They both silently wrapped up Sapnap's wounds, and they sat silently at his bed, waiting for him to wake up. They both had the same thing playing over and over in their minds, and neither of them could hide that fact very well.

_This is all my fault._

Dream was looking into his lap when he heard sniffling. He looked up to see George desperately wiping his eyes, and he was trying to stifle his cries. He looked up and saw Dream staring, and that was when the dam of tears broke. Tears started to stream down his face, and small hiccups shook his shoulders. He took in shaky inhales, and he tried to be as quiet as he could be. When Dream started to rub his back, it only made matters worse.

"This is all my fault, Dream. I could've helped him, I could have-"

"George, this isn't your fault. It's mine. You were just trying to fend off the mobs, and Sap was standing next to me. This is my fault George, not yours."

"I saw him, Dream. I could've shouted out or something!"

"There was nothing you could do, George!"

The two continued to argue with each other, all while Sapnap slowly gained consciousness. His head was pounding, and his limbs were sore and heavy. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. He wanted to tell his friends that it wasn't their fault, but he couldn't move. He remembered how they got into this scenario, and grimaced. 

_They were at the top of a hill, fighting a horde of mobs. It was supposed to be a casual stroll around unexplored areas of the SMP, so they didn't wear their armor. They thought it would only be a few hours, and that they wouldn't be out until nightfall. Their plans were soon changed when they found a ridiculously lucky mine, and they spent hours down there, mining away the valuable resources._

_When they followed the natural tunnel of the mine, they found themselves outside on top of a hill, and the moon high up in the sky. From where they were, they could see a very faint glow in the distance, and they started to make their way towards the SMP. The hadn't even stepped off the hilltop when arrows were being shot at them, and explosions could be heard in the distance._

_Since no one had been to this hill, no one had placed torches. Since there were no torches, there were large groups of mobs atop the hill, their heads all now turned towards the adventurers that came out of the cave. The trio silently took out their weapons and shields, preparing themselves for the fight ahead._

_George had moved to the left of Dream and Sapnap, and was fighting off a few skeletons while hastily placing torches down. Dream and Sapnap were back to back, fighting off any mobs that came forward._

_"Uh, guys? I ran out of torches. Dream, you got any?"_

_"Uh, yeah, here Sapnap. God, we should've brought armor for this."_

_"Yeah. Too late now, I guess. Duck!"_

_Dream hastily ducked down at Sapnap's orders, and an arrow shot over his head. Sapnap took out his own bow and shot the skeleton, looking down the hill where the arrow had landed._

_"Guys, do you have water buckets on you?"_

_Two yeses were heard._

_"Okay, I have an idea! It's kinda dumb, but- AH!"_

_Dream and George had turned around to Sapnap, who had been shot in the shoulder by a skeleton. George and Dream dropped what they were doing and ran to Sapnap, who was now crouched on the ground, a hand on the arrow._

_The two forgot their surroundings, their only focus being on Sapnap. A skeleton had spawned in behind them, and it pulled back its bow. It loosed its arrow, and it went right into Sapnap's other shoulder. Sapnap leaned back, and Dream and George watched in horror as Sapnap fell down the hill, hitting rocks and branches on his way down._

_They both jumped down the hill and went to Sapnap, whose breathing was heavy, and whose eyes were struggling to stay open. He slowly shut his eyes as Dream and George got to him, and he promptly fell into unconsciousness. Dream had picked him up, and they both made a mad dash to George's house._

"Dream, I'm telling you that I could have shot the skeleton! I heard it behind me, and I didn't do anything!"

"That's because you were worried about Sapnap, George! There was nothing you could do! I could have got there quicker and placed water at the bottom of the hill, or I could've yanked him by the shirt to keep him up there! I was close enough, George, I should have saved him!"

"Okay, _LISTEN!_ We were both panicking, and we both lost our focus. Even though what's done is done, Dream, if I had killed the skeleton, none of this would be happening."

"George, another one would have shot him! _THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO!"_

Both of them quickly shut their mouths when they heard a groan coming from Sapnap. He turned his head blearily towards them, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Would you two shut up? My head hurts."

Dream and George let out quiet apologies, and they took down some of the torches in George's house. The light went from being bright to a dull orange glow, and Sapnap sighed in contentment. Even though he was in pain, everything seemed to be fuzzy. He could feel the throbbing of his head and the sting of his cuts rubbing against the gauze, but he was comfortable.

"Here, have this while you're still awake."

"Thanks, Gogy."

Sapnap slowly drank the healing potion that George had given him, and he let his eyes fall shut. Before he fell asleep, he made grabby hands at Dream and George.

"Can we cuddle, please?"

Sapnap apparently didn't notice the two other beds that had been placed next to him, but he did notice the two sets of arms that wrapped around him. 

He was out like a light.

When Sapnap woke up, everything still hurt, but he could function with this level of pain. With a few more potions and a bit more rest, he would be completely fine. George and Dream were sat at the foot of the three beds, and they were arguing quietly. Sapnap only caught a few words, but he could guess what they were arguing about.

"Guys?"

George and Dream looked at Sapnap, who had propped himself up against the wall.

"Would you two shut up about last night? It wasn't either of your faults, if anything it was mine. Don't argue against me, just let me explain."

_Sapnap had moved closer to the edge of the hill, a water bucket waiting to be used was in his inventory. He could gather up a bunch of mobs at once and jump off the hill, making them fall with him. He figured that Dream and George knew what he was doing, so there was no need to worry. He moved closer still, and he had a couple of skeletons on his trail._

_He didn't plan on getting shot._

_He certainly didn't plan on getting shot twice._

_The momentum of the arrows sent him tumbling backwards, and he felt every branch and rock poking into his skin on the way down. He landed with a thud, and he hastily pulled the arrows out of his shoulders. He shut his eyes, and he heard Dream and George over him._

_That didn't go as it was supposed to._

"I thought that you guys would know what I meant, but you didn't, and I didn't tell you what I meant. That's on me, not you."

George and Dream only stared at him, exasperated looks in both of their eyes. Sapnap only tipped his head back and sighed, wincing slightly as the cuts on the back of neck were touched. He looked at the pair, rolled his eyes, and made the 'continue' hand gesture at them. They didn't waste any time getting right to the point.

"Sapnap, you idiot! Do you know how worried we were?"

"Dude, next time, remember that we can't read your mind."

"Do you know how reckless that was? You could have died!"

"You had us pacing, Sapnap. Pacing."

"Sapnap, I swear to god, when you're healed, I'm gonna kick your ass."

They stopped their ranting when they heard silent snickers, and they turned to Sapnap, who had a hand over his mouth. Their confused looks set him over the edge, and he started howling with laughter. After he had calmed down and the tears had stopped flowing, he spoke to them.

"I know that was dumb of me, and I should have told you, and I'm sorry. But the fact that both of you started lecturing me at the same time was too much, man."

He looked down into his lap, and he smiled bashfully.

"It's nice to know that you care."


	18. I'm Sorry, Icarus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity is running from Techno when an trident lodges in his wings, and Techno feels awful and decides to help.  
> TW- a small bit of violence. as a treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for @Nammoo, who I really hope is still reading this. I hope you like it!! 
> 
> Also, please leave requests. I still have a million to get to, but I like _~choices~_.  
> Go wild.  
> Flood the comments.  
> Give detailed requests, give small requests. Angst, fluff, mostly anything under the sun except for smut I will do. Almost 9,000 of you little shits have clicked on this, so some of you have got to have something you want me to write.
> 
> And exCUSE me??? Almost 9,000 people what the hell- Thank you so much for the support, nerds!! :D It really means a lot to know that people like what I write <3

He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Quackity was running away from Techno, and his legs felt like they were going to give out. He had flew when he started to run, but one flaming arrow that came a little bit too close to his head made him rethink that choice. He had ran the rest of the way, and he didn't even know where he was at this point. All he wanted to do was get over his fear of the Blood God, who was now hunting him like an animal.

He figured that his fear was going to stay very prominently in the front of his mind for the rest of forever.

Quackity was now in some sort of plains biome, which was not good for evading Technoblade. In the forests, he could bob and weave through the trees, and even fly above the treetops if he had the energy to do so. In the plains, there was nothing to protect him. He knew it was risky, but he knew he had to fly. There was a breeze, and there was a large lake coming up ahead. If he could only get the momentum to jump, he could glide over the lake, and he would be fine, if only for a little while. He saw a small hill, and he made a mad dash towards it. It was only a couple of blocks high, but it would do.

The conditions were perfect- there was a forward facing breeze, he had the momentum, and he had gained a bit of energy from a gapple he just ate. He took a jump at the peak of the cliff, and then he was in the air, soaring over the lake. He even looked behind him, and he couldn't see Techno on the shore. He had lost him!

He thought he had, at least.

As he was gliding above the water, high above the ground, he failed to see Technoblade in a boat under him, as he was lost in his own adrenaline. He didn't have time to react when he heard the _thwoosh_ of a trident being thrown, and suddenly he was plummeting to the ground. 

Quackity fell into the water with an ungraceful splash.

Techno, who was watching from only twenty-ish blocks away, thought that Quackity looked like Icarus. He fell into the water with the moonlight behind him, and his wings looked like they were glowing. Instead of flying to close to the sun, Quackity had flown to close to Technoblade, who he then proceeded to make fun of. He didn't take kindly to people making fun of him, especially if he hardly knew them. The only people that got away with it was Phil, Tommy and Wilbur, because he knew that they were joking. Quackity, however, he had never met, but he acted as if he had known him for years. 

Techno kept his face and tone neutral through the encounter, and he made Quackity believe that there was no reason to be afraid of him. He then started slowly walking towards Quackity, who began slowly backing away, about the endurance of humans. Humans would always keep up with their prey, and they would always come out of top. 

Quackity ran. 

Techno was steadily trailing behind him as he ran, and he was always only a few steps behind him. Quackity had made it over the water, a smart move, he had to admit. What wasn't smart was that he forgot that Techno had every weapon he knew of, including a trident. He stopped the boat he was in, aimed at Quackity's wings, and threw.

He hit him spot on. 

He knew that he was going to hit him, but he had never hit an airborne target before. If he missed, his trident would come back, and _then_ he would hit Quackity. Luck and aim were on his side, however, he thought. He waited for Quackity to come out of the water, furious and afraid, and for his trident to come back into his hands as soon as Quackity resurfaced. 

He had expected a loud, flailing man to come out of the water. 

What he didn't expect was Quackity slowly drifting to the surface with his eyes closed and his face to the moon. There was something wrong, and Techno knew it. He saw that Quackity was panting, probably from being underwater for a bit, but then he saw the issue that he had created. 

There was a red tint to the water, and it was coming from Quackity's beautiful, pale yellow wings. His trident was soon in his hands again, covered in blood, and a feather sticking to it. His head shot up from his bloodied trident when he heard an agonizing scream coming from Quackity, who was now trying desperately not to drown. Techno's eyes went wide as he saw Quackity slowly fall under the water, his hand shot up as if that was going to help him out of the water.

Technoblade was then under the water, swimming down to the sinking man, whose right wing was leaving a trail of blood in the water. He looked peaceful, techno thought, even though he was about to drown. Techno swam under him, grabbed him underneath his knees, and he shot them out of the water using his trident.

As soon as they reached the surface, Techno flew them to the shore, and he immediately looked to the quietly crying man in his arms. They were far, but he could get them to his home in the snow. He quietly shushed Quackity and set him on the sand and stood back. He took an enderchest out of his inventory, and he took out a lavender potion, and threw it at Quackity. He was out in only a few moments, and Techno threw another potion at him while he was asleep. He knew that the healing potion could only do so much, but at least he wouldn't be awake as Techno flew them to his house. 

They were almost there when Quackity woke up in the Blood God's arms, snow falling around them, and a small house in the distance.

" _Duele,_ Technoblade. _Duele, duele, duele-"_

Technoblade could only shush the crying man, as he kicked the door to his house open. He sent Quackity on his bed, and he splashed another healing potion on him. He had seen Quackity in passing, and he was always loud and extroverted. Right now, he was silent except for his small cries of pain the he was trying to stifle, and his head was turned away from Techno. Techno went over to Quackity's injured wing, and he slowly lifted up up. Quackity let out another pained yelp, and Techno thought that he should be asleep for this. 

he went over to his brewing stand and started to make a sleeping potion, putting a little bit extra of everything into the potion to make it stronger. He went over to Quackity while it was brewing, and he looked into the red, puffy eyes and spoke.

"I'm gonna put you to sleep while I fix your wing, alright? You'll be fine."

Quackity could only nod and whimper. 

He went over to the brewing stand and put the potion to Quackity's mouth, who drank it with difficulty. As soon as the final drop left the bottle, Quackity's head hit the pillow, and Techno got to work. 

Quackity's normally pristine pastel yellow wings were now covered in blood from where he had been struck. Techno slowly shifted his wings, bandages already in hand, when he realized what must have made the experience so much worse for Quackity. One of the three prongs to his trident was stuck in his wings, the blood still flowing over it.

He had no idea how he didn't see it before, but he slowly shifted the feathers and removed it. He threw it behind him carelessly, and he started to bandage up the wound. He didn't exactly know how to bandage a wing, but he tried his best, and he was overall pleased with the result. He sat back when he was done, and his gaze loomed over Quackity. He felt bad for him, felt bad for what he did.

He had no idea why, but Quackity hit different. Normally, there would be no emotion in his killings, but Quackity hadn't died. Instead, he suffered, and his beautiful wings were damaged because of him. While they were flying over the land, Quackity looked so, so small in Techno's arms, and a wave of guilt washed over him. 

He was the Blood God- renowned for being merciless in his kills, and yet here he was, fretting over Quackity, whose tear-stained cheeks made him even more guilty. He had never felt guilt like this before, maybe because he always knew that the people he killed would respawn. He didn't know why this was any different.

He sighed to himself and crafted a bed, placing it down on the other side of the room. When Quackity woke up, he would be there, even though he was probably the last person he wanted to see. He went to sleep, guilt in his heart, and his head turned towards his Icarus.

_Technoblade was standing at the top of a tall tower, looking over the sea below him. He felt light and flowy, and he could feel himself smiling. He fell forwards, his face to the sky, and flew._

_He felt the wind, he heard the roaring of the waves below him, and he heard someone laughing beside him. He looked over and saw Quackity flying beside him, his light yellow wing reflecting the sun beautifully. He flew lower than Techno, who was flying as high as the winds would carry him._

_He felt a searing pain, and saw Quackity falling below him, his wings covered in blood. He saw tridents coming at him from every angle, and they lodged into his wings. It hurt more than he could describe. It felt like he was on fire, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The sky above him turned from blue to red, the sun turning into the moon._

_As he fell to the black sea below him, he heard his own voice speak out to him, and he felt a final jab in his back, right between his wings._

_"Blood for the Blood God."_

Techno jolted out of his bed, the sun shining in his eyes.

_Is that how people see me?_

He slowed his breathing, and looked over at Quackity, who was now looking at him with fear and confusion in his eyes. 

"Quackity, I-"

"Why did you do that?"

"Heh?"

"I said, why did you do it?"

Techno sighed and stepped out of bed, and he made his way over to Quackity, who backed away as he saw him come over. He sat on the end of the bed, careful not to touch Quackity at all, and the started to speak.

"I honestly have no idea why I did what I did. I started chasing you because you insulted and, frankly, annoyed me. When I hit you, I thought you were going to die, but you didn't. You fell into the water, Icarus, and you didn't move. I felt _guilty,_ which is new, and I felt like I had to help you. I brought you here, fixed you up, and now we're here."

Quackity only stared at him, and Techno shifted under his gaze.

"I'm scared of you for a reason, Technoblade. Last night was absolutely horrifying, but... it's nice to know that even the Blood God can feel guilt. I've never seen you _normally."_

"I look like that for a reason, Quackity. Eh, no, don't sit up-"

Technoblade went forward and pushed Quackity back down, who only looked at him in annoyance, and a bit of fear. Techno knew that Quackity would be afraid of him for a long time after what he did, but it still hurt to see. Quackity grimaced when his wing brushed up against something, and Techno could only wonder.

"Are your wings sensitive or something?"

Quackity looked away from Techno, silently thinking over his answer. Trusting Techno with any information about his weaknesses was a dumb move, but he felt like Techno wouldn't hurt him. He really did look guilty, which was an odd look to see on the normally stoic man. He sighed, and turned his head to Techno.

"Yeah, they are sensitive. Everything that happens to them feels like it's enhanced, like, ten times than normal, so having a trident thrown at them hurts like hell. It felt like I was gonna die, man."

Techno winced when he heard that, not even wanting to imagine the pain that he caused his Icarus. He got off the bed and came back with a gapple and a healing potion, holding them both out for Quackity. Quackity took them gratefully, still surprised at how nice the Blood God was being. 

"Uh, Techno? Can you help me sit up so I can actually drink this without dying?"

Techno chuckled at that, and went to the side of the bed yet again. He slowly helped Quackity sit up, and he accidentally touched his wings in the process. He heard Quackity cough, and he saw him drink the potion like it was water in a desert. He curiously touched his wings again, and he was met with a purr. 

Quackity was purring. 

Like a cat.

He didn't even seem to notice until Techno was laughing behind him. He had sat behind Quackity and was now petting his wings, and Quackity was leaning into him like a cat.

"Dude, it feels like a massage. Makin' me all tired. Can you keep doing that, please?"

"Sure thing, Icarus."

Techno continued to pet his wings, and Quackity continued to purr. He didn't mean to fall asleep on Techno, but he didn't mind. He merely moved them so they were both laying down, and he kept petting his wings. He didn't notice falling asleep either, but he didn't mind.

Quackity's wings made great blankets.


	19. How the Hell Do I Take Care of a Kid? - 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo drinks something he shouldn't and is left as a child, much to Schlatt's dismay.  
> TW- language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an apology for last chapter. Also, why do HORDES of you suddenly flock here for some angst-
> 
> Are you okay.
> 
> Don't answer that, actually-
> 
> If you're here for sad, there's more of that next chapter!! :D

It was a bright September morning, and Schlatt was in the White House. It was about a month into his presidency, and he felt like he fixed things up already. He got rid of those ugly walls, and he got rid of the problem child and his big brother. A little plaza had even been built, and it made the area way nicer than before. He even had a responsible vice president with a great ass, and his own personal assistant! 

Tubbo was currently at Schlatt's desk, looking for some paper that Schlatt had him get. It was something about Niki's taxes, but Tubbo didn't hear the specifics. He had only heard Schlatt tell him to get the beige document, and he was off. Tubbo didn't mind being Schlatt's assistant, he was actually quite nice. He was only scary when he had to be, and when he had a bit too much to drink. When he was drunk, actually, he was very loopy, and that could quickly turn into a stern expression. After he said something serious, though, he always burst out in fits of giggles. It startled Tubbo the first time he saw the mood change, but he had gotten used to it.

He grabbed the paper he hoped was correct, and he made his way to Schlatt, who was in the lounge. He liked that he had made a lounge- it was comfy and it took their minds off of work when they needed it, and it provided a change in scenery if they needed it. He walked up to Schlatt, who was on the couch hunched over the coffee table, and handed him the document.

"Here you go, Schlatt!"

"Thanks, Tubs. God, no one told me that being the president would mean doing so much damn paperwork."

"I don't ever remember Wilbur doing paperwork, though."

"Yeah, he never did it, alright. I'm having to do all of it, _and_ the new paperwork that's coming in every damn day."

"Oh, I didn't even know Wilbur _had_ paperwork..."

"All the more reason he shouldn't be president, Tubs."

Tubbo winced at that, as he was still sensitive about the whole 'banishment' thing. He missed his friends, he really did. He had only gotten a few words in with them, and even then Wilbur made sure they were fleeting so Tubbo wouldn't get caught, and so they wouldn't get found. He had only seen Will, and he always told him that Tommy was fine. 

He _just_ wanted to see his best friend again, but Wilbur wouldn't allow it.

Schlatt noticed that Tubbo was uncomfortable, and he got his attention.

"Hey, Tubbo, can you get me a tea from Niki's? One of the weird ones that's blue for some ungodly reason."

"Oh, yeah. Sure thing!"

Schlatt watched Tubbo run out of the lounge, and he sighed. There was _so_ much damn work to do, but Tubbo really helped him. Even though he was his errand boy most of the time, he really pulled through when he needed an extra pair of hands. Even though he had known Tubbo for about a month, he liked him. He was like a golden retriever, how in the hell was he not supposed to like him? It was rough at first, with Tubbo flinching at every damn word he said, but then he realized that he wasn't actually the spawn of Satan about a week in, and everything had been smooth sailing from there. 

If anything happened to him, however...

They would cross that bridge if they ever got there. 

For now, he would just wait for his golden retriever to get back with his tea. 

Tubbo was currently at the entrance to Niki's shop, and he greeted her with a genuine smile. She turned around with a glare until she saw who it was, and then she grinned back at him.

"Hello, Tubbo! Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, actually! Can you make one of those blue tea things for Schlatt? And can you add a crap ton of sugar?"

"Sure thing, Tubbo."

Niki was a kind person. She really was. But even for the nicest people, enough is enough. She had gone searching in far off swamps for witches and potions and harmful herbs, all for a little bit of revenge. She wouldn't go as far as to hurt Schlatt, but she could inconvenience him with an awful cold that left you bedridden for days, or something to take away the ability of speech, if only for a little while. He had been cruel to her, and he kicked out Wilbur and Tommy from the country they created and loved with their whole hearts. 

Today was the day that she got her revenge. No one would suspect her, anyways. Sweet Nihachu, spiking a drink with a witches potion? She would never.

Except for the fact that she did.

She had been wandering in a swamp for hours when she stumbled upon a witch. She dropped emeralds and gold at her feet, hoping that the witch knew she meant no harm, and that she wanted to make a deal. She explained to the witch that she wanted something to cause trouble, to make the recipient's life hell for a little while. The witch let had laughed at her, but had given her the potion nonetheless. There were simple instructions tied to the bottle, and Niki wondered how she would manage to pull it off.

_Pour this into their drink._

_Wait._

How was she going to be able to have contact to something Schlatt would drink? When Tubbo came into her shop requesting a drink for Schlatt, she took this opportunity and spiked the drink. She made sure Tubbo didn't see what she was doing, and poured in the clear liquid. She turned to Tubbo, the drink in her hand, and gave it to him.

"Here you go, Tubbo!"

"Thanks, Niki! I think he'll like the extra sugar. I'll be on my way now. Bye!"

Niki waved him off, and she could only imagine what the potion was going to do.

As Tubbo was walking out of the bakery, he looked at the drink in his hand. It was a nice, warm tea, and it smelled wonderful. Surely Schlatt wouldn't mind if he took a sip or two, right? He slowly brought the cup to his lips, and took a sip. The tea was nice and fruity, and very sweet, but there was something off about it. After he had taken the drink away from his mouth, he tasted an odd aftertaste in the back of his mouth. It almost burnt, but he had never had this tea before, so maybe that was what it was like normally. He walked into the White House, and made his way to the lounge. 

Schlatt was still on the couch when he walked in, but he looked up and smiled at Tubbo when he saw he came back.

"Hey, Tubs. You get my drink?"

"Yeah, here you go! I hope you don't mind, but I had a sip, and I drank it from this side. I don't want you to get sick or something because of gross mouth germs, you know?"

"You drank like half the damn thing, man! What the hell-"

"I did not! I had a sip- I can see you smiling! I'm off the hook!"

"Whatever. Next time just bring a straw for god's sake so I don't have to share your nasty-ass germs."

"Fine, fine, fine. I don't know why you like the drink, honestly. It had a weird afte... af... afterta.... Schlatt-"

Schlatt watched in shock as Tubbo's eyes rolled into the back of his head he collapsed to the ground. He shot up from the couch and went over to Tubbo, the drink forgotten on the table. Schlatt moved Tubbo so he was laying down properly, and he shook his shoulders. 

"Hey, Tubbo, wake up, man! What the fuck is this, what was in that drink- Quackity!"

Schlatt yelled out Quackity's name at the top of his lungs, and he could hear him running up the stairs and pounding towards the door. 

"Schlatt! What happened? What's wrong?"

His eyes fell onto Tubbo, and he crouched down next to the sleeping boy. 

"There was something in my drink that must've been for me, I don't care at this point- Get him on the couch, will ya? I'll get some blankets or something, just watch him please. I'll only be a few rooms down, so yell if anything happens. Where the hell did I put the blankets-"

Schlatt paced out of the room, looking for blankets. Quackity gently lifted Tubbo off the ground and put him on the couch, sitting on the table and waiting for Schlatt to return. He remembered that there might be some blankets or an old hoodie in the closet next to the windows, so he got up and went to the closet. He was about halfway there when he heard the _poof_ of a mob or a person dying, and he turned and ran towards the couch. 

"Schlatt! Something, uh, happened!"

Schlatt was instantly back in the room, a panicked expression on his face. 

"Where's Tubbo? Did he die? What happened?"

"Well, uh, he didn't _die,_ but. you know it would make more sense if I showed you."

Quackity stepped away from the front of the couch, and Schlatt looked down to see a sleeping toddler on the couch, wearing Tubbo's shirt and jeans.

"What the hell is that, Quackity?"

"That's Tubbo, Schlatt."

Schlatt groaned into the sky, and walked over to the couch. He picked up Tubbo and held him in one arm, and mumbled something about needing to talk to Niki. He turned to Quackity after a bit, and his eyes showed nothing but pure horror.

"How the hell do I take care of a kid?"


	20. Leaves From the Vine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil remembers events that have long since passed.  
> TW- major character deaths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been too nice to you lot, so have this. i'm not sorry.

_Leaves from the vine_

Phil slowly makes his way down the well-worn oak stairs, his hands shaking with every step. Even something as simple as going down the stairs was difficult in his old age, but he knew this was what was going to happen when he got older. His gray hair was slowly whipping in front of his face, the warm breeze a welcome feeling in the spring winds. 

_Falling so slow_

He made his way away from the town center, ignoring the glances of the hundreds of people now living in New L'Manberg. They never saw him outside- he was like an urban legend to them. They knew he had helped the founding of the very country they were in, but none of them got the story right. Some said that he fought Dream along with the rest of the Boys, some said that he joined too late and had to watch everything fall apart. Most stories had at least a little bit of truth to them, but he never corrected them. They were his stories, and he didn't have to share them with anyone. He had thought a couple of times over the past decades to share them, but they were his, and no one else's. 

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

Phil seemed to disappear from sight. He had gone under the ground, and was now on a slow moving minecart to somewhere far away from the city center. Tommy had built these tunnels years and years ago, and no one knew about them except for him, Phil, Techno, Wilbur, and Tubbo. Tommy and Tubbo had found the spot where this lead, way back in the war for independence, and no one had ever found it. They trusted Phil, Techno, and Will, so they brought them to their little sanctuary that was thousands of blocks away. Dream had never even heard about the place, and they wanted to keep it like that.

They only went there when they had to or really wanted to, because they didn't want to risk Dream or Schlatt or anyone finding out about it. Their plan worked perfectly. It was far enough away that no one would go looking for it, and the minecart track was so far underground that it almost hit bedrock. No amount of explosions would be able to uncover it. 

_Drifting in the_ _foam_

After the long ride, Phil stepped out into the now setting sun. He stepped into the overgrown flower field with bees swarming about. Tubbo loved to come here after the first and take care of his bees, and Tommy loved to come with him. Wilbur and techno would join, Wilbur bringing his guitar and Techno bringing a pillow. He fell asleep often out here, the sound of Will's guitar and Tommy and Tubbo's laughter lulling him to sleep. After it happened the first few times, he just brought a pillow with him every time he came. He would just close his eyes and cast his face up to the setting sun as he fell asleep, and more often than not would wake up with either a flower crown on or whiskers drawn on his face.

Techno liked it here, but only when all of them were there together. He said it made the voices in his head silent when he was there, or it made them happy.

_Little soldier boy_

Phil slowly started to walk along the oak path that was cracked in some places, with flowers and weeds coming out of it. It was a winding path, and it lead into the oak forest that Tommy had planted. There was a birch one, but he set it on fire and planted the oak forest instead. The memory of the loud, happy, and slightly concerned laughter was brought to his mind, as well as Will and Techno desperately trying to stop the fire while Tubbo could only laugh along with Tommy.

The memory made him smile.

The forest was now massive, no trace of the birch to be seen. Phil heard the slow trickling of the waterfall, and he knew that he was close to his destination. He picked up the pace, and now loud creaks came from the wood below him at the added weight. 

_Comes marching home_

Phil was now in the familiar clearing that was not overgrown, unlike the rest of the forest. He made apparent to come over and weed every once in a while, as he wanted to keep the area nice and clean. It was lit with the soft glow of lanterns, so he didn't have to worry about mobs spawning. He sat down on the rotting oak bench and took a disc out of his inventory. He then turned to the rusted jukebox to his left, and put the old disc inside. 

Cat started to play, and Phil looked over at the setting sun.

_Brave soldier boy_

He looked down at the graves a few blocks in front of him. They were faced away from him- towards the sea. Tommy and Tubbo were next to each other, just as they had been during death. Dream had wanted to have one last hoorah before he left the world for good. While they were all at the docks, eating something Niki had made, the ground shook, and the four of them were blown sky high. Phil was back inside the bakery, and he only had time to look out at the carnage. 

Tommy and Tubbo were burnt and bloody, and they were still making the impossible effort to crawl over to each other.

They had died in each other's arms, their last "I love you's" still on their lips. 

Techno and Wilbur were next to each other, just as _they_ had been during death. Will and Techno were blown far apart, and they had the same injuries as Tommy and Tubbo. Wilbur couldn't move. All he could do was look at the setting sun that glared in his eyes. 

Techno, who still had just a little bit of strength left, pried himself off the ground, and stumbled towards Wilbur. He fell down at his side, and he pushed their foreheads together. 

There were no words in between them, but they knew they loved each other all the same. 

That had been decades ago,, and there was only one member left. 

Himself.

There was one empty plot of land in between the for graves- right in the middle. 

He would be there, someday, and he would be with his family again.

For now, though...

He only listened to their favorite disc, and he recalled the fond memories of his boys. 

_Comes marching home_


	21. I Was Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without communication from Tommy, Techno gets worried, and searches for his little brother.  
> TW- Major character deaths, violence, suicidal thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry chrysler have some angst 
> 
> Also does anyone here know how to do the tag thing? Like where you write a username and you can click on it? I know NOTHING about this site help please for the love of god-
> 
> Please leave requests!! :D

It was too quiet on the SMP, and only Technoblade seemed to realize this. 

Techno was in New L'Manberg, talking to Phil. The citizens weren't too keen on having him here, so he made sure no one saw him enter the nation or Phil's house. He was sitting on a chest, a tea in his hand, and he was looking up at Phil.

"I'm telling you, Phil. Something is off here, and no one seems to notice it. Did Dream do something?"

"No, he's been with Tommy for the most part. We've bugged him like hell to tell us where he is, but he won't budge. Will's already forgotten, so that's a dead end. It _is_ almost Christmas, so maybe Dream will let him come over."

 _That's_ why it was so quiet. 

Techno sat up straighter at a certain thought and stared at Phil directly in the eyes.

"Where's Dream right now?"

"Probably at the community house or something. He only spent the first week or so with Tommy, and even then it was just little stints of time." 

His eyes widened, and he put a hand over his mouth. 

"Techno, oh my god, he's been alone, in the cold, for _weeks._ We have to find him, oh god what was I _thinking_ letting Tubbo exile him-"

"It wasn't Tubbo. Dream is the one pulling the strings. Is that _really_ the same Tubbo from before he became president?"

He was met with silence. 

"I'm gonna find him, Phil, and I'm gonna bring him home."

Techno leaned his head against the walls and shut his eyes. He made his mind go blank, and the voices he got so used to blocking out came rolling back in. He didn't have to ask any questions to them because they had heard his conversation. He didn't know how they heard other people's conversations, but that was beside the point. What he needed was answers, and that was what the voices responded with.

_2,000 blocks away, you gotta go past the vacation home and go straight_

_On an island!! With tnret!!_

_We haven't heard from him in a while_

_E_

After getting all the information he needed, Techno left Phil's house in a hurry, letting the voices stay in the front of his mind. Phil didn't need to ask how he knew where he was going, because he knew about the voices. Techno had told him about the voices and had gotten used to blocking them out. He hadn't even thought that they might be useful to Techno, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He wanted desperately to go with him, but he was already in enough trouble as it was, so he thought he should stay put. 

He just hoped Tommy was okay.

Techno had the same thought as he stepped foot into the ocean and soared through the sky with his trident. He knew he was going in the right way because of his voices, but they were starting to worry him.

_Where is he???_

_Jump in the Cadillac-_

_Dream was manipulating him_

_DepressedInnit_

_(girl let's put some miles on it)_

_FIND HIM TECHNO_

The voices had told him that Dream was hurting Tommy, and making him believe that he was there to help him despite blowing up his things and cutting off outside contact. They painted a horrible picture, with Tommy clinging to Dream like a lifeline and Dream just leaving him after a week. The voices were starting to get violent, but he would be the overall decision in whether or not violence was needed. He saw a large island in the distance and he landed on its shores. The sand was covered in snow, and the temperature felt like it dropped twenty degrees. He wrapped his cape tighter around his shoulders and made the climb up the small hill.

He saw a tent in front of him, the snow softly blowing inside. The bed looked like it hadn't been used in ages, and that fueled Techno's worry further. There was one enderchest sitting next to it, and a sign above the entrance saying "tnret." Tommy wasn't here, so he kept looking. He saw a wall of stripped logs and made his way towards it, only to find it abandoned yet again. There was another tent with Wilbur's name on it, a mooshroom, and a little blue house. He speed-walked into the house and shoved the door open, only to see that this house was empty. 

There was a picture of L'Manberg on the walls, a present from Will, probably, and there were chests and barrels scattered about. There was a sigh on the back wall, though, that caught his attention. It read- "be out back, doin some important shit." He knew that Tommy wrote it, he could only wonder where "out back" was, though. As he exited the house, he saw something that made his heart stop.

There was a tower, one block thick, that stretched past the clouds. There was no ladder, no scaffolding, no nothing. 

The only way down was to jump. 

Techno ran as fast as his legs could carry him up that hill, and he saw no evidence of Tommy anywhere. His things weren't in a chest, and they weren't scattered on the floor. He let himself have a little sigh of relief when he saw the water pool next to him, and when he saw the now-frozen footprints in the mud. 

He was really thinking about ending it himself.

As he looked over the campsite, trying to find Tommy, he saw another oak wall behind a line of trees, and he knew that that was the "out back" the sign had mentioned. He set off, praying to anyone out there that Tommy had sheltered up there, and that he was alive. 

He put his hand on the wall of the area, out of breath, and he heard Cat being played. Tommy must have put it on, oh god he was alive-

He saw an oak bench and walked up to it, ready to find a freezing Tommy, clinging onto the warmth of the machinery in the jukebox. Before he looked over the bench, he took a closer look at the jukebox. It was broken, some wires sticking out of it. The music coming out of it was scratchy in some parts, and Techno realized that Tommy had rewired it so Cat could play on repeat. Despite the situation, he smiled because he knew Tubbo taught him how to do that so they could annoy Wilbur with Mellohi. There was a decently thick coat of snow covering it, though. Without wasting any more time, Techno made his way over to the front of the bench. 

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Tommy was lying on the bench, looking at the sky, a sad smile frozen onto his face, along with a tear. There was a book in his hands, and the quill had fallen on the floor. Someone had come along and shut his eyes, and they also arranged his free hand so that it was holding a wilted flower. The tips of his fingers were black, and it looked like frost was growing out of his skin. Dream had come here, seen him _dead,_ and instead of doing anything, he had wiped off the snow and given him a flower. Another thin layer was already starting to cover Tommy.

Techno sank to his knees and screamed. 

He smashed his fists on Tommy's chest, begging him to wake up, to do _anything._

Tommy's lifeless body only continued to smile at the sky. 

Techno was starting to lose it. He could feel his pig form starting to take place, and he let it. His normally human face was replaced with that of a pig, with angry eyes, a snout, and sharp teeth. His ears flattened out, and his skin turned a shade of pink.

He was going to kill Dream. 

He would make him _suffer._

He would-

The wind ruffled the pages of the book Tommy was still holding. He slowly and gently took the book out of Tommy's grasp and looked at the pages. 

They were pictures that Tommy had drawn. He never knew Tommy was an artist, but Tommy never knew he was a poet, so they both kept things from each other. The pages were filled with drawings of Tubbo and the rest of his friends, the work slowly getting better. Tommy must've had this journal since the start, and the fact that he was clutching it in his dying moments hurt his heart. 

There were pictures of everyone that Tommy had ever met, and there were sometimes footnotes on the sides of them. There was one next to his own face that just said, "nerd," which made him chuckle. Towards the end, there were pictures of Dream, and still life pictures of a compass which he could see next to Tommy's head. There were also pictures of endless, spiraling circles, and hard lines pressed into the paper. He would catch words every once in a while, flipping through the last pages, and he could feel warm tears falling down his face and onto his snout.

_Dream?_

_Tubbo Tubbo Tubbo Tubbo-_

_Cold_

_Jump_

_I'm sorry, Tubbo._

Those last words were written in messy handwriting on the last page of the book. Those three words were the only things on the page.

Tommy had thought of Tubbo in his dying moments, and he hadn't seen him weeks. The last image he had of his best friend was him staring down at him while he was dragged out of the country he made. After all the pain Tubbo had caused him, he was what he though of as he passed away.

Techno quietly shut the book, grabbed the compass and the disc, and put them in his inventory. He was seething with rage and grief, but he was gentle as he took off his cape and covered Tommy in it. He picked him up and went to the shore, gently placing him in the boat he put down. He would bring Tommy home so he could rest in peace.

Phil was reading a book when he heard a knock at the door. He rushed to it, hoping to see Tommy and Techno together, but he was met with the face of the Blood God and his son in his arms. He could only see the his shoes and a tuft of his blonde hair, but he knew. He held out his arms, and he sank to his knees, holding Tommy for the last time. His breaths were ragged, and his tears were falling fast, but he held it together. He spoke to Techno in a shaky voice.

"Techno?"

A grunt.

"Remember how I said that you should ignore the voices, and how they were always asking for blood?"

Another grunt. Phil took a steadying breath and looked up at his only living son.

"I want you to let the voices _scream,_ Techno."

Techno turned away from Phil and let out a battle cry that would bring armies to their knees. He heard the Blood God set off at a sprint, and he was left alone. He held Tommy tight in his arms and screamed.

Dream didn't even see it coming. He was walking on the Prime Path towards the portal when he felt a stab in his back. He whirled around to see the Blood God sprinting towards him, the rage of a thousand warriors glowing in his red eyes.

Ah, so he had found Tommy.

Dream pulled out his sword, and he was pushed back immediately. Techno was in front of hi, taking swing after swing at Dream, and yelling in the process.

"YOU LET HIM DIE! YOU KILLED HIM, DREAM! YOU WILL _NEVER_ LIVE TO SEE THE LIGHT OF ANOTHER DAY, DREAM."

There was nothing he could do. He drank strength potions and ate gapples, but nothing could stop the rage of the Blood God. He was beaten and bloodied, and he couldn't stop in when Techno had him pinned to the floor, a sword over his heart. He looked up at him, his mask long destroyed, and he smiled a cruel, wicked smile.

"He was always my favorite pawn."

He was dead before he could take another breath.

Techno used Dream's own flint and steel to burn his things. He turned around and set off towards Phil's house. He could feel his normal features coming back, but he didn't care to notice. He didn't bother to use invisibility potions, as he and Phil were now the only ones on the server. 

He found Phil quietly crying over Tommy's body on the middle of his floor, and he sank down next to him. Phil knew what Techno did, and he felt more proud than he ever had. Techno silently held out a book to Phil, and he looked through it with wide eyes. Those quiet cries broke out into loud sobs, and he leaned into the hug Techno gave him. He could feel him crying, too.

They would give him a hero's funeral, just like he always wanted. He wanted to be the hero in this story, and by god, were they going to treat him like one.


	22. I Remembered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur is floating around the SMP when a memory strikes his mind.  
> TW- itsy bitsy bit of violence. like a punch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This strays from the canon in one aspect, so if you're like ??? When did this happen ??? It didn't, it's fanfiction. Normally I just use real SMP events so I didn't wanna... y'know.... confuse you :/
> 
> I have a request page now so request things there and make it easier for me thank youuuuuu

Wilbur knew he forgot some things since he died. He collected books to try and get those memories back, but nothing really worked. Remembered quite a bit from the revolution and a little bit afterwards, but then his mind goes blank for the next months of memory. He would see something that gave him glimpses of things he forgot, like a button or a ravine. They would come in flashes, quick and fleeting, and then they would be forgotten again. He was told that he only forgot the bad things, which he thought was a good thing. If no bad things happened, then he didn't have to worry about anything. 

That's what he thought, anyway, and he was pretty sure what he thought was right.

Wilbur was floating about New L'Manberg when he saw Tubbo. He flew over and greeted him with a smile, which Tubbo gladly returned. 

"Hey, Wilbur! Er- Ghostbur! What are you up to?"

Wilbur was happy that Tubbo corrected himself when it came to his name. He wasn't Wilbur, that was someone who did bad things that made him forget months of his own memory. He was Ghostbur, the happy spirit that always made an effort to cheer everyone up. He knew that he _was_ Wilbur, but he didn't like to acknowledge it. He shook his head and answered Tubbo. 

"I'm good! I went in the Nether a bit ago and I found a book on the shore of a lava pool. It was a bit beat up, but I managed to save it. Actually, I thought I had that book already, but I must have lost it. Maybe Tommy made another copy! It doesn't matter anyway. I have it now, and that's good! What have you been up to?"

He saw Tubbo's eyes light up at the mention of his best friend. 

"Tommy's book? In the Nether? That's weird, but at least he's still okay. I've been really busy, actually. Schl- the previous president did _none_ of his paperwork, so I have to do it all. I think Tommy would have handled this better, sometimes."

_They were in a cold ravine, and Tommy looked tired and scared. His clothes had holes in them and he looked like he was dead on his feet. Wilbur waltzed towards him, and he said something that he couldn't make out. He put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and leaned in towards his ear._

_"You're never gonna be president, Tommy."_

"-bur? Wilbur, are you alright?"

Tubbo was waving a hand in front of his face, and he blinked back into focus. He was looking down towards the ground, and his hand was moving up toward's Tubbo's shoulder. Tubbo looked worried, and he didn't want that to happen. 

"Here, have some blue! It looks like you need it, so I'll give you more than normal."

Tubbo took the blue, but he still looked worried. Wilbur went to get more when a hand on his wrist stopped him. It was Tubbo- and he was looking up to Wilbur. His hands were warm on Wilbur's cold ghost form, and he thought it was a nice change. 

"Thank you for the blue, Will, but I have enough. Are you okay? What was that, Wilbur?"

Wilbur let out a soft _hmmmm,_ and he tried to remember what made Tubbo so worried. What had just happened a moment ago? He was pretty sure he remembered something, but he couldn't tell what it was. He closed his eyes, and thought hard. 

_Cold_

_Stone_

_Sad_

_Never_

_Tommy_

He put a hand to his head suddenly. Remembering things hurt his head, so he tried not to do it on purpose too much. He looked down at Tubbo, who was still holding onto his wrist, looking expectant. Wilbur moved his other hand from his temple to his side, and he looked at Tubbo with a happy smile.

"No idea! You wanna go to Niki's bakery or something? I think she went to a flower field and made a bunch of new teas. C'mon, let's go!"

Wilbur pulled Tubbo along with as much physical strength he could muster. He heard Tubbo stutter out protests, but he pretended not to hear them. He knew Tubbo was still concerned over what just happened, but he himself didn't remember, so it must not have been important. He did remember Tubbo saying something about being busy, so he thought a break might be good. He barged into Niki's shop, president in tow, and he repeatedly rang the bell on the counter that told Niki someone was here. She came out from a door on the back wall, her hands tying up her hand, and she smiled at Wilbur.

"Hello, Wilbur! Do you want another cookie?"

"Yes please, but not right now. Tubbo needs to take a break, so I brought him here! You got loads of new teas a while ago, right? You know what he likes! I can pay for it, don't worry, so get something nice."

Niki hadn't even noticed Tubbo in the store. He was slowly inching towards the door, wanting to do work, and he was moving quietly so Will wouldn't hear him. He froze when Wilbur mentioned his name, and he turned around to face Niki. To be honest, he did need a break, but breaks could wait. He just had to keep pushing himself until he was done, and _then_ he would take a break. He sighed and made his way to the counter. 

There was a nice chalkboard menu hanging on the wall behind the counter, and he squinted his eyes while scanning over every option. He saw a big arrow pointing to a section of things he had never seen before, and he was surprised just to see how many new teas Niki had gotten. 

"I'll take the iced roses one, please. And, uh, a chocolate chip cookie."

"Sure thing, Tubbo!"

Niki got right to work on making his drink, and she pulled out two chocolate chip cookies. and put them on a napkin. Wilbur went over to pay her, and Tubbo turned to the beaming ghost. 

"Is it okay if I talk with Niki for a while? There was some paper or something that I needed ASAP. After this, I'll take a break. Okay?"

"Okay, Tubbo!"

Wilbur happily folded the napkin and took Tubbo's drink to a table of his choice. He floated for a bit, still deciding on which one to use, when he saw one with a small vase on it. The vase was homemade and made by an armature, but it had smiley faces all over it, and that made him smile. He sat down on the table and waited with swinging legs for Tubbo to finish his conversation with Niki.

Tubbo had ushered Niki to the corner farthest from Wilbur, and had started talking to Niki in a hushed tone while sparing glances at Wilbur. 

"Papers? I thought I gave you all the things you needed..."

"You did, you did, don't worry. I think something is happening with Wilbur."

That had gotten Niki's attention. She had seen Will change after dying, into a happier version of himself that they never got to see, but she had always had her suspicions that he was hiding something beneath that overly happy facade. 

"I think he's remembering things that he forgot. I've only seen it happen a few times, but it happened just now. I said how Tommy might have handled being president better, and then he zoned out. He went to, like, grab my shoulder, but then he broke out of it. His eyes went all dull and stuff."

Niki nodded in agreement. 

"The same thing happened to me a bit ago. He came in the shop and was watching me work when I had to go get one of my expensive materials for baking. Things that are hard to come by you want to protect, you know? So I went up to my iron door in the back and placed down my button to open it. Wilbur went silent and then he started to sing _My L'Manberg._ After I got rid of the button, he stopped, and kept talking like nothing had happened. I tried to talk to him, but it looks like it hurt him when he tries to remember things."

"Is it like a PTSD thing? Maybe we should help him remember!"

Niki sighed and put her hand on her cheek.

"I don't think that we should. He should find out on his own, and I don't want to hurt him, you know?"

"Yeah, I get that. I'll leave him be."

Niki and Tubbo made their way over to the oblivious Wilbur, and they sat down together. Tubbo tried to speed up the process as soon as possible, but Wilbur caught on and scolded Tubbo, who bashfully looked into his lap. They stayed there for the rest of the night, sharing laughs and drinking teas they didn't pay for. Wilbur and Tubbo walked out of the shop backwards while giving excuses to the exasperated Niki, who was just happy that Will and Tubbo were happy. 

Wilbur went back to his sewer, and he wondered about all the things he forgot. Not all of them must be bad. Some of the good ones must've been swept away after he died, and he was sad about that. There was nothing he could do, though. He could only hope that his memories, good or bad, would come back eventually. 

He didn't expect one of them to come back the very next day, though.

Wilbur came out of his sewer with a smile like he did every day, and he went out to face the world. He talked to Tubbo and Niki yesterday, so he would hopefully bump into someone new. He thought that to find someone new, he would have to leave L'Manberg, which he normally didn't do, but he didn't mind. He went onto the wooden path and floated above it, going up the stairs that he thought should have railings on them.

He saw Karl's house, but he wasn't there. Tommy was on a vacation and Ninja was only there for a little bit, so he would have to look a bit farther to find a friend to talk to. He was floating down next to the Targay when he saw a netherite-clad man walking towards Punz's house, and Wilbur knew it was Dream. 

"Dream! Dream, wait up!"

Dream stopped walking and turned around to see a happy ghost flying at him. He greeted will with a simple hand wave, and he kept on walking.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to mine quartz."

"Oh, I like quartz. You can build almost anything with it. Actually, I think Tubbo's old house might still have some in it! I like looking in the chests there every once in a while to see if there's anything I need. I'm almost positive that I saw quartz in there somewhere last time I checked. I'll show you, c'mon!"

Dream chuckled at the overly happy ghost, but followed him to the ruins of Tubbo's house nonetheless. Wilbur was talking mindlessly to Dream when something happened as soon as he crossed the spot where the door used to be. He went still and silent, and Dream tried to get his attention to no avail. He hadn't seen this happen before, so he wasn't aware that Wilbur was remembering something he forgot. 

_It was in the midst of the revolution when a terrible storm swept over the server.. There were harsh winds and loud cracks of lighting and thunder every second, and the loud pattering of rain was deafening to those who heard it. L'Manberg had decided to curl up in Tubbo's house since the van wasn't sturdy or safe enough to withstand the storm with people in it. Wilbur was the only one in the house when he heard a banging knock at the door. It was hard to hear, but it was consistent, so he was able to make it out._

_He opened the door to see Dream holding a barely alive Tommy in his arms._

_Wilbur only looked on in horror when Dream threw Tommy inside, and he watched him land with a thud. His blood was on the floor, and there was water around him from where he was soaked to the bone. Wilbur ran down to him, and he looked up at Dream with a disgusted glare. Dream didn't have a single scratch on him, but the axe he held in his hand was bloody._

_"He was just getting materials, Dream. Why..."_

_Dream only shrugged._

_"He was in my way. He should've seen it coming, being a fighter and all."_

_Dream turned around and slammed the door, and he left Wilbur alone and frantic with a child on the brink of death._

"Hey, Wilbur? You good?"

Wilbur looked at Dream. His eyes were empty, and his face was blank. Dream was taken aback, but he didn't do anything. 

"I remembered something, Dream."

Dream was surprised to hear it, but now he was curious. 

"What was it? You lost a lot of your memory, so- umph!"

Dream staggered back at the force of the punch. 

"Wilbur! What the hell is wrong- ugh!"

Another punch, this one to his mask. 

It was split in two. Dream was now looking directly into the eyes of an enraged Wilbur. His eyes were crazed, and he had a pissed of frown on his lips. He was cracking his knuckles, readying his hands for another blow.

 _"He was in my way?_ You beat him half to death that night because he was _in your way?_ Do you know what that did to him, Dream? He was scared for his life every time every time a drake cloud even went in the shy. He was terrified of the rain, and he would never leave my side for hours if even one little drop hit the floor. He never shook that off, Dream. I don't remember where or when this happened, but I know that every time it rained he stuck to my side like glue, Dream. Months of my memory lost, and I can still remember his biggest fear, and _you_ caused it."

"Hey, Will, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Dream."

"Wait-"

Dream was hit with another series of brutal punches. It was like Wilbur's fists went past his armor and hit him directly. It was almost like he drank a strength potion with the amount of force he was hitting him with. There was no magic being his blows, just sheer, blinding rage.

"If-"

Punch.

"You-"

Punch. 

_"Ever-"_

Kick.

"Hurt Tommy again-"

Shove.

Wilbur was looming over Dream, who was now on the ground. There was a crossbow pointed in the spot between his eyes.

Dream gulped.

"I will give you your final death, and I will _not_ be merciful. If you, by some miracle, come out alive, I will make sure that your life is going to be a living hell."

The only thing Dream could do was nod. He had seen Wilbur when he was a bit unhinged, but he had never seen him like this. He was intimidating and threatening, and Dream believed what Wilbur said when he said he would make his death slow and painful.

He was _scared_ of Wilbur Soot. 

"Okay! Bye bye now, Dream!"

Wilbur got off of him with a smile and a cheery tone, and Dream was left dumbstruck on the floor, looking up at the graying sky.

He wordlessly set the skies to a summer sunny blue.


	23. Enderman Tendencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo's suppressed hybrid urges finally come to the surface after not sleeping for too long.  
> TW- N/A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that the last chapter got so much love! Like, there were a CRAP TON of comments and just- ???? Thank you so much????? 
> 
> Anywho, this is for @introvertedpineapple
> 
> I don't know how to do the thing where you can click on the @'s so this is what you're getting-
> 
> BTW THEIR HEIGHTS CHANGED SO THE STORY MADE MORE SENSE SORRY BC PHIL IS NORMALLY _WAY_ SMALLER THAN RANBOO-

Ranboo was tried. 

So, so tired.

He had made the long trek to Technoblade's house on foot in the morning because the portal had been broken. He got lost on his way there, and he was not pleased that he had to go over water and trudge through the snow. He could normally get over his hate for water, but he had to stand in it and be around it for _hours._

When he finally got to Techno's house, he bolted inside the door when Techno opened it and he launched himself into the fire. He let out a relived sigh while Techno could only sputter out confused noises because his house guest had sat in the fireplace, and he didn't seem to mind that he was burning. 

Ranboo was still sitting in the fire when he looked up happily to Technoblade, who was still quite confused.

"So you said you had my pickaxe?"

Techno shook his head at Ranboo's casualness, and he went over to one of his chests. He silently took out the pickaxe and chucked it at Ranboo, who caught it with a smile.

"Thank you! Well, I'll be- oh."

Ranboo had looked out the window as he was stepping out of the fire and he saw that the sky was now white, and that fluffy chunks of snow were falling gracefully from the sky. He had hated his feet getting snow covered on them, but his whole body? That was going to be a miserable trip, especially because he didn't know where Techno's portal was. 

The Blood God was cruel, but Techno was not. He could feel something was wrong with Ranboo, and he had a guess, but he didn't want to assume. Helping people out wasn't exactly his strong suit, but he knew how his hybrid side reacted to certain things. He loved gold, and he felt strong wearing it, even though he knew his netherite armor was better. He cleared his throat awkwardly and got Ranboo's attention.

"Is it the snow?"

"How did you-?"

"Ranboo, we're both hybrids, I'm not dumb. I have an umbrella, if you want it. Just to let you know, Phil gave it to me as a gag gift, so-"

"I'll use it!"

Techno wordlessly went to his chests again, and he handed Ranboo a bright pink umbrella with cute pig faces printed onto the fabric. Ranboo laughed and took it gratefully, stepping out into the snow. If he was fast, he wouldn't be in the snow for very long. He set off at a sprint into the woods, and Techno watched him leave with a wave. He was happy he could help the enderman hybrid in some way, even if it meant giving him a fake present that he had gotten. He didn't mind though, because he had kept his real present from Philza, and he would murder anyone if they took it away from him.

Ranboo had made it to the shore without issue. His feet were still getting wet and there would occasionally be a snowflake that fell on him, but he was happy he wasn't taking the full brunt of the snow.

The rain, however, was going to be harder to get around.

As he got to the shore, he realized with horror that the snow turned to rain as it went over the ocean, and the winds were picking up. Instead of the rain falling straight down onto the umbrella, the rain was moving sideways, hitting him square in the face. He let out a his and ran back to the grassy hill, only to realize that the snow was sticking to his clothes and seeping through the fabric the same way that the rain was. 

He hated it.

The rain and the snow felt awful and wrong when it touched him, and even being too close to lots of water made him uncomfortable. Ranboo would love nothing more than to wait out the storm, but it looked like it was only going to get worse before it got better. He sucked up his discomfort and ran to him boat, the rain pelting him at every angle. He held up the umbrella as he rowed forwards, but he was getting nowhere using only one hand. He put away the umbrella and faced the rain head-on, and he let out an agonized scream. 

The rain hurt, it burned, and all he could do was focus on getting home instead of focusing on the rain hitting his skin. 

He hissed with every drop and he winces with every harsh wind, and he let out a sob of relief when he could see the docks. He didn't even bother to pick up his boat when he ran to the quickest house he could find. He barged into Phil's house and he fell down face-first to the floor in relief, not noticing the two other people in the room who were now staring at him.

"Um, Ranboo? You alright mate?"

A happy sigh of relief was heard from the man on the floor. Phil could put two and two together, and he could guess what happened. Tubbo looked completely confused, and he was starting down at Ranboo with confusion.

"Did something happen to him, Phil?"

Phil wasn't sure how comfortable Ranboo was with his hybrid status, so he brought Tubbo to the small upstairs floor above their heads.

As soon as Phil brought up that Ranboo was a hybrid, Tubbo understood what was going on. He had seen endermen panic in the rain and the snow, and he supposed that aspect of endermen was the same for Ranboo. He knew that hybrids weren't exactly alike their mob half, so he was happily surprised when Ranboo told him upfront when they met that he had no problem with eye contact. He liked that he could look at Ranboo without him getting angry. He wasn't sure what other enderman aspects he had, but the hatred of water was apparently one of them.

They climbed down the latter to see that Ranboo had shut the door, and that he was now sitting next to Friend, glowering. He was dripping wet, and he thought that Friend was warm. He was right, but he was still wet, and that was putting him on edge. Phil laughed and made his way towards him, and he laughed harder when Ranboo, who had been sitting with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, fell over to the side, his expression not changing in the slightest. 

"I have towels and dry clothes, Ranboo."

Ranboo shot up and looked at Phil expectantly. He went up to get the towels and the clothes, and he went looking for them upstairs. Techno had gotten him clothes, but they were a bit too big on him. He figured that they would be perfect for Ranboo, though, so he took the black tee shirt and flannel pajama pants out of the chests, as well as the towels, and made his way down to Ranboo. 

Ranboo gratefully took the towels and the clothes, and he went upstairs to dry himself off and put them on. Phil had been right- they were a perfect fit for Ranboo. He looked exhausted, and he really didn't want to go to his house in the rain, even though it was next door.

"Oh, guys, you really didn't have to do this.."

There were three beds in the main room now. One for Phil and Tubbo, who were now in pajamas, and one for Ranboo.

"I don't want you going out in the rain. Plus, Tubbo wanted to have a sleepover."

"Well, I can't say no to the president. But really, thank you, Phil. It means a lot."

"It was really no problem! The red bed is yours, by the way."

"Thank you."

Without another word, Ranboo went under the covers of his warm bed, and promptly fell asleep. Tubbo turned around from where he was petting Friend, and gave a small frown. 

"I wanted to tell him ghost stories!"

Phil only laughed again.

When morning came, Tubbo and Phil were the first to wake up. They were happy that the clouds had gone away, and that the sun was shining and warm. They talked quietly amongst themselves until Ranboo woke up. When the hybrid did wake up, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking and staring at random spots around the room. Tubbo went over to him instantly.

"Hey, Ranboo! You feeling better?"

He was met with a blank stare. Ranboo got out of bed and looked around the room, his eyes landing on his pillow. He picked it up without thinking, and he placed it gingerly on top of Friend's back, who didn't seem to mind the pillow at all. Tubbo watched on in confusion and turned to Phil, who tipped his head back and groaned. He let his head drop forward and put his hand on his mouth. 

"Oh, this is gonna be a pain."

"What is?"

Phil looked at Tubbo, who was now looking at him, instead of Ranboo, who had taken a ladder off of his trapdoor. 

"Well, hybrids can have bad days where their mob half takes over their human half. Sometimes it just happens, but normally something sets it off. The rain must have done it yesterday, so he'll be like this for a couple hours, maybe the whole day. I dunno, with Techno it only lasted an hour or two."

Tubbo looked like a light switch had been turned on in his head.

"Is _that_ what this is? It happened to Fundy and Schlatt sometimes! That would explain why Schlatt would eat papers sometimes and why Fundy would just have things in his mouth! Oh, this makes _so_ much more sense now!"

"Yeah, it happens. We should try to keep him inside so he doesn't get himself killed- where did he go?"

They looked to see the open door, and they could see Ranboo outside, milling about. Without changing out of their pajamas, they went outside to him, and they saw that he had already moved several blocks. Techno's propaganda was now on the iron cage made for his execution, noteblocks were on roofs, and several half slabs had been taken away from the path.

"Ranboo, what-?"

Fundy had walked up to them from Niki's bakery, and he instantly knew what was going on when he heard Ranboo make a noise identical to one an enderman would make. 

"Bad day, huh?"

"Yup."

"So how much of your stuff has he moved- hey!"

Fundy was now in the arms of Ranboo, who was cradling him like a sleeping kid. 

"Ranboo! I'm not a block! What the hell!"

Philza and Tubbo were on the floor laughing, and Fundy was wriggling in Ranboo's grasp, trying to get his feet back on solid ground. Ranboo let out more enderman noises, and suddenly they were twenty blocks away.

"Phil! Help me!"

Phil stood up from the ground and shrugged. 

"You're on your own now, Fundy!"

They hear Fundy's cursing getting quieter and quieter as Ranboo teleported them farther and farther away from L'Manberg. Tubbo turned to Phil, who was still wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Will he be okay?"

"Eh, probably."


	24. Piglins Can't Swim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno almost drowns because of his piglin side when someone comes to his rescue.  
> TW- almost drowning, almost dying, CPR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Whee hath requested this, so I hope that is to your liking, my good reader. 
> 
> Thank you all for the amount of support that you give this for some ungodly reason, and that you for the comments and requests! Keep the requests coming, by the way. I can never have too many.

Techno really didn't mind being a hybrid. People would lie and say that being a hybrid was hellish and wrong, while others said that it was painful and that hybrids should be put to rest immediately after taking their first breath so they wouldn't have to suffer. Everyone with a brain knew that both of these points of view were extreme and ridiculous, but even the most supportive people were wary of them sometimes. 

Every hybrid he had met had told him that they were sick of people being afraid of them, and that they weren't going to suddenly go wild and tear up the place they were in. It was frustrating, especially if a person's hybrid side wasn't a passive mob. Ranboo and Fundy had both come to him on dark nights and let out their woes. Ranboo couldn't help that he would pick up blocks and make noises sometimes. Fundy couldn't help it that he would sometimes put things he was holding in his mouth and show his sharp teeth, and he couldn't help it that his eyes went wide and his tail swished when he saw a chicken. 

Techno only listened to their troubles in silence, as he understood where they were both coming from. _Tubbo_ had even come to him before, sobbing and hiding the flowers that grew in his hair with a hat. He had sobbed into Techno's arms that a family had taken one look at him with his small horns and small yellow flowers growing through his hair, and they had crossed the street so they didn't have to pass him on the sidewalk. Tubbo had held his head down for the rest of the walk to the store. 

Tubbo was a moobloom hybrid. The young president of L'Manberg was a hybrid with a docile cow that had flowers growing out of its back, and people were still afraid of him. Tubbo had wearily suggested that maybe it was the bumble bees that hung around his head that scared them off, but they both knew the truth. Tubbo was confused when Techno asked him to describe what they looked like, but he did so anyway. 

The next day he asked Dream to open the portal to the residential districts of Minecraft, and the confused server owner obliged without any questions asked. 

When Techno showed up in the decorated spawn of the residential districts, the kids playing with the flowers and the toys left out at the spawn either ran away from him or gazed up at him in awe. It was _Technoblade,_ the Blood God, in the quiet residential district. The only exciting things that happened here was parties hosted by the owners, or when adventurers showed up at the spawn, bloodied and beaten, and the trudged their way to their house, exhausted from battle. Their neighbors would fret over them, but they had gotten used to bloodied warriors after a while.

The families there were clearly not expecting to see Technoblade strolling down the sidewalk in all his regal glory, the terrifying piglin hybrid walking around like he owned the place. He didn't seem to notice the posse of starstruck kids trailing behind him, and he didn't notice them playing with is cape. He certainly didn't notice the kid who had sprinted over to him, falling down and scraping her knees in the process, just to run up and tell him with a beaming smile that she had seen every bedwars game he had played, and that she was his biggest fan. 

He had stopped playing bedwars years ago, so he was surprised when this probably ten-year-old kid told him that she had seen every match. He silently handed her some band-aids he kept on him, and he didn't protest when she nervously held him hand because she was limping. When he knocked on a particular door, the unsuspecting mother nearly had a heart attack when she opened the door to see the Blood God Technoblade at her door, holding her child's hand. 

Techno had resourced everywhere, so it didn't take them very long to find the family Tubbo had described, and the house they lived in. She let the piglin hybrid into her house, and she lead him to their couch. Her younger son saw him and climbed all over him, but he didn't mind. When he started speaking, he didn't hold back what he thought of her. He told her of his moobloom hybrid friend crying into his arms, and how they were a part of the problem as to why hybrids were so feared. Her kids were still all over him, playing with his cape and holding onto his fingers, but Techno liked that the atmosphere around them wasn't still. 

He left the house with a grin on his face, sure that that woman would never act like that again, or else she would face the Blood God. Her kids followed him all the way to spawn, and he gave them a soft smile before heading back to the SMP.

Sometimes the fear factor of being a hybrid was worth it just to knock some sense into ignorant people. He really didn't mind being a hybrid in the eyes of others. Being a hybrid had more annoying biological factors, though, that he would gladly do without. 

It was a beautiful sunset on the SMP. Technoblade was sitting on the ledge of Eret's tower, admiring it from afar. Today had been a difficult day for his hybrid side, so watching something so calming was nice. He snorted at people instead of talked, and his eyes were drawn to any gold he saw. He was happy that people on the server were so kind, because he knew of people that would take him to an exorcist if they saw him nudge someone as a way of greeting. 

He sighed and jumped off the tower, landing seamlessly into the water that he placed. He went behind the tower and walked to the shore, taking out his trident and aiming it towards his home. He stepped in the water, and a wave of calm rushed over him. Techno could feel himself shuffling farther into the water, but he shook his head and aimed his trident again.

He could normally shake off his affinity for water, but his piglin side seemed to think that it was the most interesting thing in the world. He was used to lava and heat, not water and cool waves. Whenever he touched it, he wanted to sink himself into it, and just float endlessly into the dark blue depths. He knew that he couldn't give in, especially right now, when his hybrid side was more active than it had been in a long time. He soared through the air on his trident, and he came splashing back down into the water. He raised his trident before he could think about how magical and mysterious the water was, and he was in the air again. 

This time, when he came down, he couldn't resist sinking into the depths of the sea. The water was warm, and the waves were slowly luring him into a trance. He could feel his mind going blank, but he didn't care. Everything was so calm and quiet, and he wanted to explore this new feeling. He didn't even notice when his lungs started to feel tight, and that black spots were swimming in his vision.

He was swimming in this forbidden greatness, and this just must be what it felt like. 

He shut his eyes, and he hit the sand at the bottom of the sea with a silent thud.

Quackity was gliding over the ocean, enjoying his afternoon. Everything seemed to be so soft, and the ocean looked so welcoming. He swooped down low to the surface of the water, and he dragged his fingertips along the waves. He laughed out loud to himself, everything was just so perfect. The air was warm, the water was calm, and the bubbles rising to the surface made small, soothing popping noises when they hit the surface. 

Bubbles? Wait-

He stuck his head under the surface, and the calm atmosphere was shattered when he saw Technoblade drowning at the bottom of the sea. 

"Que diablos- Technoblade!"

Quackity spread his wings and soared into the sky, gaining air and going against the wind. He turned back down to the water and beat his wings, diving down into the water as fast as he could. His wings acted as gliders under the water, and he reached the bottom of the water with ease. He brought his hands under Technoblade and held onto his tight as he shot out of the water like a bullet. He flew as fast as his wings could carry him to land, and he set Techno down onto the sandy shore.

"Techno?"

Nothing.

"Technoblade!" 

The piglin hybrid was still unresponsive, and his chest wasn't moving. 

"Oh, you're gonna _kill_ me for this when you wake up, but it has to be done."

Quackity hurriedly pulled off Techno's netherite chestplate, and he began doing chest compressions. The heel of his left hand digging into the back of his right, and he knew a bruise was going to form. After doing chest compressions, he groaned, and put his hand over Techno's nose, and breathed into his mouth.

He began chest compressions again, when he felt Technoblade stir under him. He coughed and spat out the water in his lungs, taking deep breaths to compose himself. He looked over to Quackity, and he stared at him silently.

"I had to, I'm sorry, you were going to die otherwise, you were going to suffocate-"

"Quackity."

"I'm sorry, I had to save your life and that was the only way I could do it-"

"Quackity."

"I'm sorry, please don't chase me again-"

_"Quackity!"_

Quackity stopped apologizing and looked up to Techno with teary eyes. 

"Thank you, Quackity. Piglins... can't swim very well. Don't be sorry for saving my life."

It looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

"Oh, thank god. It's no problem, man. If you want me to leave while you regain your strength I can, so I'll just be-"

"Wait, please."

He was shocked that Techno was asking for him to stay. He folded his wings and walked over to Technoblade, who was looking sheepishly in his lap.

"Is it alright if you help me get somewhere safe? Drowning takes a lot out of you, which I didn't know. I am so tired that I can't even really move properly, so-"

"Of course I'll help you!

Techno was surprised at how quickly Quackity agreed to help him. He was fully prepared to drag himself to Phil's house and crash there, but that wasn't going to happen. He was a little bit put off when Quackity put his arms under his knees and behind his back, but he got over his discomfort after they were in the skies, and heading to Quackity's house. With a hand slung over his shoulder, Quackity brought the stumbling Techno into his house, and he practically pushed him onto his bed. He told Techno that he would be right back, and he set off into the skied again.

He landed in front of Pogtopia, and rummaged around for any of Techno's clothes. He let out a laugh of victory when he found some of his pajama clothes in a chest, and then he dashed back outside.

Techno was half asleep when he threw the clothes at him, and he looked at them blearily. He held out his had and flicked it at Quackity, signalling for him to leave. He wasted no time in putting on the dry clothes, and he wormed his way under the sheets of Quackity's bed. His hair was still a bit wet, but he had dried off from the wind blowing by him. Quackity came back in to see Techno blearily looking at him from under his covers, and he laughed when Techno's hand barely came out from under the blankets to place another bed besides his. He pat his hand on the mattress, and he raised his blanket expectantly.

"Really, Techno? I can get another bed if you want. I'm fine with this, but-"

"Shut up and get in the bed, Quackity."

He didn't need to be told twice. He dove under the covers and brought his wings around Technoblade, and he was surprised when Techno's head found its way under his chin, and his arms wrapped around Quackity's middle. They didn't say anything more, and they let the light of the moon lull them both to sleep.

Karl ran up to Quackity's house, needing to talk to him. He opened the door quietly, knowing that Quackity was probably still asleep. He didn't notice the pile of damp clothes at the foot of the bed, and he didn't notice the wisps of pink hair peeking out from under Quackity's wings.

He went over to the bed, and he stopped dead in his tracks in surprise.

Technoblade, _the_ Technoblade, was snuggled up against Quackity, whose wings were draped over him like a blanket. He took out his camera, took way too many pictures, and he silently crept out of the house. 

Well, he knew what he was getting Techno and Quackity framed pictures of for the holidays.


	25. ~not a chapter don't worry nothing is wrong~

I absolutely love writing one shots, and **by no means** are these going to stop. They will get a bit less consistent because, y'know, school, and I may or may not have a little bit of something in the works. Something bigger. Inspo and motivation has been a bit low recently, but it happens to the best of us. 

An update to this story will come, no worries! I hope you lot like what I'm planning~~~~


	26. Why, Theseus?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy had had enough, and he wants to end it all. Technoblade stops him.  
> TW- suicidal thoughts, self deprecation, suicide attempt, manipulation, depression, mentions of previous violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are going through something, know that there are people out there who care. Hell, talk to me if you have to. This is not the answer, and I hope that you have a Technoblade to catch you if you fall.

He had nothing. Absolutely nothing keeping him going. 

Dream had stopped visiting. He only came over once a week to destroy his things and rough him up a bit, and to remind him how worthless he was. Tommy didn't need to be reminded, for his mind already supplied those thoughts to him every waking second of every god forsaken day. Dream had broken the portal, and he had completely torn it down while Tommy was on his knees, begging him to stop. Dream had said that he was only doing this so he wouldn't get his hopes up, and that he wouldn't try to sneak into L'manberg while he was away. 

He was right, he was always right. No one visited him because he deserved not to be visited. He was terrible, and he hurt Tubbo. Dream had told him that Tubbo never talked about him, and that he would scoff and sneer if his name was even brought up. Dream didn't tell Tommy that Tubbo had asked him every single day where Tommy was, and that he had tears in his eyes on some days. He didn't tell Tommy that he overheard Tubbo sobbing into Fundy's arms saying how much he missed him and what a poor decision he made. Tommy didn't need to know, so he didn't tell him. 

Tubbo had gone searching desperately in the Nether after Ranboo told him there was a portal, but he came out disappointed and broken-spirited. Dream didn't tell Tubbo that he had broken all portals that led to Tommy, and that he had broken the obsidian path he had made. The only way to get to him now was by boat, and no one other than Dream knew where he was. Dream had told the worried Wilbur that Tommy had found a better vacation spot, and that he was so, _so_ happy in his new home in the sunny tropics. Wilbur had beamed at him and started to write letters to Tommy for Dream to give to him, and he was only a little sad when no letters came back. Dream didn't need to tell Wilbur that Tommy was still in that miserable tent only a thousand or so blocks away, and that he burnt the letters as soon as he was out if view. 

Tommy was so tired. He knew that no one was going to help him, and that no one cared about him. While he was crying, Dream had told him that everyone was so much happier without him there, and that they never even spoke his name. Tommy was still hurt, but he was happy knowing that ~~his friends~~ everyone was doing okay. He told this to Dream, and he had only agreed with him. 

_He was a waste of space._

_He's so tired._

_So numb._

_He doesn't feel the cold winds around him._

Tommy doesn't even know that his feet are moving. He slowly drags himself from his tent, his matted hair blowing in the wind, and he slowly scales the small hill next to what was left of Logstedshire. Dream had blown it up once he found his secret stash of goods, but that had happened weeks ago. He knew now that he was being stupid, and that Dream was right, and that he was keeping him safe from his own mind.

He slowly built a tower that reached to the skies, and he looked at the setting sun as he slowly rose above it. 

Techno had no idea what was going on. He had no idea that Tommy was even in exile, much less suicidal. He was in his cabin in the woods for most of his days, happily reading books while the voices raged on. It was nice having time for himself, and to stay on the down low for once in his life. That didn't stop him from going into the Nether and slaughtering so many wither skeletons that he lost count only to get their heads and put them in his bunker, but no one needed to know about that. Chaos made the voices quiet, and he was planning on a lot of chaos. 

He stepped through the community Nether portal and walked to L'Manberg, not expecting to tackled as soon as he reached the city. His sword was already drawn, but what was on his chest stopped him. Tubbo was leaned over him, looking into his eyes with tears and hope. He could see cuts forming on the president from his thorns, but that didn't bother Tubbo. He shook Techno's shoulders with vigor, and Techno could hardly hear the words he was saying. He put his hands in front of him, and he motioned for Tubbo to get off of him. He stood up, and Tubbo was talking to him again.

"Do you know where he is? Please, Techno, it's been so long-"

Techno was confused. Why was Tubbo so stressed? "What's wrong? Do I know where _who_ is?"

Tubbo slammed his hands against Techno's chest as sobs broke out of him. 

"Tommy. Dream made me exile him, Techno, it's been weeks and none of us have seen him, you _have to know_ where he is, please!"

Techno's demeanor completely changed. He went from amused and confused to serious within a matter of seconds. He knew that Dream didn't like that Tommy was so disobedient, but he never thought that he would get so far into Tubbo's mind that he would make him exile him. If it had been weeks, then Tommy was alone, in the cold, and who knows what Dream put into his little brother's head. Tubbo was one of the nicest people he had ever met, and he knew that being the leader of a government was only partially why he was so distressed and sad. 

"Where did Dream take him? What direction?" Tubbo silently pointed to his right, and muttered a single word. 

_Hurry._

Techno had never used his trident faster. He was soaring over the sea, hoping to see an island or a body of land somewhere. He knew that where he lived was a bit to the right, and he knew that that was the first landmass Dream probably saw. He kicked himself, he should have left his house and explored in the weeks he had stayed there. He could think about his stupidity later, but right now, the only think that mattered was Tommy. 

His feet hit the snow covered sand, and his eyes widened at the exploded area. There was no time to explore, because something caught Techno's eye. On the hill to his right, there was a tower that reached the clouds. He could see something growing ever smaller moving on the top, and he knew that it was Tommy. 

He was going to jump.

He ran to the base of the hill as fast as his legs would go, and he let out a terrified gasp when he saw the figure at the top slowly plummet to the ground. 

_"TOMMY!"_

The falling boy looked at the man clad in robes, and he sent him a wave. He shut his eyes, knowing he was nearing the ground.

_Finally._

_Over._

_Tired._

_Alone._

_Warm._

_Gonna see Wilbur._

_End._

_Goodbye, Tubbo._

The impact never came. 

Tommy slowly opened his eyes to see that he was in the arms of Technoblade, who had cobwebs surrounding him. He was running his fingers through his hair, looking down at the broken teenager. He had tears in his eyes, threatening to spill out. 

"Why did you stop me?"

The tears flowed. Techno merely held Tommy to his chest, sobbing into his hair. Tommy only looked up at the sky, wishing that Techno had never found him. 

The moon looked nice. The moon had always been there for him, being a constant reminder that there was _something_ in the world that watched him. He wished that it didn't, or else this would have happened sooner, and he wouldn't have been stopped. 

"Techy?"

Techno pushed himself to look at Tommy who hadn't called him that in years. His eyes were wide and full of emotion, staring into Tommy's blank ones. 

"Can you kill me, please?"

Techno's heart shattered. He sniffled, and he slowly stood up with Tommy in tow. He didn't even try to fight being carried. He didn't wriggle around, and he didn't move closer to Techno. He was simply still, staring up into the stars. Techno looked at him, and he received a blank stare in response.

"Why, Theseus?"

Tommy's blank eyes started to water. Techno sounded so broken and sad, and he had done that to him. It was his fault his stoic brother was crying. He was going to get hurt, Techno was going to hurt him for being so selfish and wanting to take his own life-

"I'm s-sorry, Techno, please don't h-hurt me, I don't have anything to give you, but you can kill me if you want, I'm sorry I made you cry, I'm sorrysorrysorrysorry-"

Techno shushed him quietly, and he sat them down at the shore, Tommy sitting in his lap. He brushed his hand through Tommy's hair as he watched Tommy apologize. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, Tommy. I will never, ever hurt you. We don't have to talk about this for a while. I'm taking you home, alright? Hang on."

Techno drew his trident, and Tommy cowered in fear, ducking his head into Technoblade's neck. He started to mumble again, and Techno knew that Dream was going to _pay_ for what he did to Tommy. He was going to _slaughter_ him, and he was going to take his sweet, sweet time. 

That would come later. Now, he placed a boat in the water, and he started to row them away. Tommy hand clung to him since he pulled out the trident, and Techno wasn't going to stop him.

"Techno?"

"Hm?"

"Why are we going this way? Dream said that I wasn't allowed in L'Manberg, and that n-no one wanted me there. Why are we going there?"

Oh, he was going to take every one of Dream's lives himself.

"I can deal with Dream, Tommy. You aren't in the right space to hear something, so just get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

Tommy let out a confused huff, but he was warmer and more tired than he had been in a while. Falling asleep wasn't difficult at all. Techno looked down at his exhausted brother, and he promised to himself that he would never let anyone hurt Tommy hwile he was still around. He knew that dealing with what Dream had done wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but he was going to wait with Tommy every second he was recovering. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good christ that was sad! :D The next chapter will be happier!! :D !!!! Reach out to a professional or a loved one if something is wrong!! I came back with a bang, huh. Leave kudos and comments or whatever :D
> 
> also not to be that bitch but i have a new story and i like how the first chapter so i would really appreciate it if you would maybe check that out-


	27. Why, Theseus? - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members of L'Manberg are flabbergasted by what Tommy has become, and they all assure him that he is loved and wanted. They all also want to kill Dream. All of them.  
> TW- suicidal thoughts, mentions of suicide attempt,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i almost named this "Why, Theseus? - Electric Boogaloo" but decided against it  
> leave comments and kudos, please, they make my day!

Technoblade rowed the boat they were in steadily, not wanting to wake up Tommy. He knew that Tommy probably hadn't gotten proper sleep in a long time if the bags under his eyes said anything, but he didn't want to risk it. Tommy was currently sitting across from him in the boat, his own cape acting as a blanket for the sleeping teen. For being 6'2, he somehow made himself look so, so small. Normally he would take up all the space in a room, wanting to gain everyone's attention. Right now, he hid in the shadows and behind backs, not wanting to be seen at all. Tommy may never tell him what Dream said or did to him to make him this way, and that was okay. All he needed to know was whether Dream wanted to be buried in the lava pits of the Nether or if he wanted to be burnt using his own damn TNT. 

He could feel himself starting to slip. He could feel his nose burning and his mouth aching, begging to transform into his piglin appearance. He took a deep breath, and willed himself to calm down. There would be a time when the Blood God would come out full force, but it was not that time right now. If Tommy flinched and cowered at the sight of a trident, then he could guess that seeing the Blood God when he woke up would send him into a panic attack. Techno needed to be a big brother right now, and that meant making sure that Tommy was okay, and that he wasn't drowning in his own mind. Tommy would normally tackle him at the slightest inclination that he was being 'babied' even if the babying was just worry. Tommy was made of fine China, and there were cracks on the edges, slowly seeping into the center. 

He _needed_ to be treated gently right now, or else he would shatter.

Techno slowly brought his boat to a stop as he reached the shore of L'maberg. It was the dead of night, so he didn't expect to see anyone awake. He had planned on going to Phil's house and have Tommy stay there with them while he recovered. He didn't was anyone to be fussing over Tommy right now, because that might make the situation worse. He had asked him a single question and he had broken down into tears, frantically apologizing for making him worry. Having his best friend have the same reaction would cause the cracks to get even deeper, and pieces may start to break off. 

He needed to be around level headed, calm people, like himself and Phil. 

He did _not_ need to be around an arsonist that had an obsession with killing pets. 

Technoblade had just stepped onto the shore with Tommy in his arms, Sapnap's head turned to him. He had bounded down the docks and had ran down to the sand, wanting to speak to Technoblade. He was wearing his armor, but he didn't want to fight. "Hey, Techno! Hey! I have something to ask you- WHAT THE HELL!"

A sword was pointed at his throat in an instant. 

"If you wake him up, if you do anything to hurt a hair on his head, I will drive this sword through your throat, and I won't make it pretty."

Sapnap was shocked. He had never seen Techno like this before, and he hadn't even noticed the bundle in his arms that he was somehow holding with one hand. He put his hand in the top of the sword and lowered it down, silently saying that he wasn't going to do anything. He was afraid of Technoblade normally, but he sounded so calm in his threat that it sent shivers down his spine. If he hurt whatever he was holding, he knew that he was going to die. Sapnap stepped back slowly hands defensively in the air. He got a closer look at what Techno was holding, and he had to bite back a gasp when the top of Techno's cape revealed a head of blonde hair.

It was Tommy. 

"Hey! He shouldn't be here, like, at all. You do realize that I have to... oh my god. Oh my _god."_ Sapnap got a look at Tommy, and his words got quieter with every second. He hadn't seen Tommy in weeks, but that was only because Dream had told him not to visit. He trusted what Dream said, so he didn't think he had to see him at all. He realized at that second that Dream was a dirty, awful, terrible liar, and that he had hurt a kid. 

A child.

_So had he._

Tommy was pale and gaunt, and his hair was tangled to his head. There were patches of dirt and _blood_ on his skin, and there were remnants of bruises and cuts littered all along his body. Hell, he was even missing a shoe. When he had visited, he had played around a bit and jabbed at Tommy and his situation, but he was met with bright, angry eyes, and witty comebacks. The boy in front of him right now was small and scared, and he hadn't done anything to prevent it. He took a deep shuddering breath, and Techno saw a dangerous glint in his black eyes. There was a fire behind them, and he drew his sword again, thinking that Sapnap was angry at him for taking his brother out of exile. What Sapnap said shocked him.

"I am going to _kill_ Dream."

Techno stood silently, his eyes wide at Sapnap's statement. Sapnap continued talking, and he didn't stop him.

"He told me that Tommy was going to be _fine,_ he just wouldn't be allowed back. God, I'm so _stupid,_ I should've seen him, I shouldn't have accepted Dream's words so blindly, oh my god, I should have _seen_ him, it's been weeks, Dream forced nice, little, bee-loving Tubbo to do this to his best friend, and he lied to all of us about what was happening to a _child._ I'm going to murder him-"

He stopped talking, and looked over at Techno, who had just been listening silently. 

"Why now? Did something happen?"

Techno looked down sadly at Tommy, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"He..." Techno felt like he could trust Sapnap. He thought that he was a good judge of character, and he could tell that Sapnap wasn't lying. He could practically feel the rage coming off of Sapnap, and he knew that he was just another person that Dream had wrapped around his little finger. He took in a breath, and spoke to Sapnap, who was waiting for an answer.

"He tried to jump, Sapnap."

Sapnap stared blankly at Tommy, and his face was expressionless as tears slowly started to fall down his face. He fell to his knees, and put his head in his hands. _He_ contributed to this. He had put Tommy into a war that he was too young for, and he had caused him so much pain. He had caused the same pain to Tubbo, who was barely older than Tommy.

He was going to make it up to them if it was the last thing he did.

Sapnap's sobs slowly roused the teen sleeping in Techno's arms. His head slowly shifted and turned towards the source of the noise, and his sleep-riddled mind was able to tell that he had made someone cry again. He started to apologize, when soft shushing met his ears. He felt himself being taken away from the warmth at his side, and his blanket shifted so his skin hit the cold winter air. He let out a whine, and then he was back into another pair of arms. His blanket was back around his shoulders, and he sank into the warmth that these arms provided. He didn't know who it was that he was in the arms of, but he was warm and being held, so he didn't care. He could feel the person holding him walking, and he let their steps lull him back to sleep. 

Phil's eyes turned red when he saw his child in Sapnap's arms. He saw that Techno was by his side, and he was confused. He thought that Sapnap had hurt his child, and that he was showing him what he had done. His confusion turned to worry when he saw the tears streaming down Sapnap's face, and the ever reddening tint of Techno's skin, his teeth slightly poking out from his bottom lip. 

The arsonist and the Blood God walked into the angel's house with a dying flame in their arms.

"Phil, before you say anything, Sapnap is alright, and he can be trusted. Just help Tommy, please, and we'll explain what happened."

It was morning by the time they all stopped crying. Phil was shocked, and he wanted nothing more than to say that everything was going to be okay to his youngest son, who was now covered head to toe in bandages. Tommy's clothes were so flimsy and useless that they had to give him new ones. Out of all of them, none of their clothes would fit, but Phil volunteered to give Tommy some of his clothes. His green tunic and pants were far too long for Tommy, but they were the warmest pair of clothes that he had, and he knew that Tommy needed warmth right now. His skin was constantly freezing, and he didn't want to risk hypothermia. 

As the sun slowly rose, so did Tommy. He didn't know where he _was,_ where was _Dream, oh god Dream was gonna kill him for the stunt that he pulled-_

"Tommy! Calm down, please. You're breathing way too fast."

"P-Phil?" Tommy wasn't supposed to have any visitors. No one liked him, so why was Phil in his tent? "Phil what are you doing here? I'm sorry, you can't be near me or Dream is gonna hurt me _and_ you, I'm sorry, I don't have anything to give you, uhm, you can take my last life if you want to!"

Phil started to shush Tommy as he worked himself into hysterics. Tommy grasped onto Phil like a lifeline as his shaking bones slowly started to calm down. He took a look around him, and he realized that he wasn't in his tent or Techno's house. He was in L'Manberg. _Dream was going to kill him._ His eyes widened when he saw Sapnap staring at him with wide eyes. He sat up and backed himself into the corner of the bed, covering his hands with his face as he begged Sapnap not to kill him. Sapnap was merciless, and he knew that the second he walked out that door, he was as good as dead. 

"S-Sapnap? Don't kill me, please, D-Dream said that h-he wanted to be the one to kill me, a-and I don't want him to be angry at you. I-I don't have anything to give you to stop you, I mean I could be a punching bag if you want me to be-"

Sapnap steadily walked forward to the cowering Tommy, and he took his armor off slowly. He treated Tommy like a scared animal, and he held his arms up in front of him. "No one is going to hurt you, Tommy. No one is going to tell Dream, and no one is going to kill you." Tommy looked like he had been told he had three heads.

"W-What? Why wouldn't you kill me? Dream said that I don't matter, and I _know_ I don't, so why not...? Oh, you're making it seem like people like me! Is this a treat? Can I have fake friends for a day before Dream kills me?" All of their hearts broke when Tommy's eyes widened in excitement at the thought of being lied to by his friends. Phil slowly sat down next to Tommy, and looked at him with sad eyes.

"Is that what you really think, Toms?" Tommy looked confused. 

"Of course I do? Dream said that no one likes me and that they were all pretending, and that he was my only friend! No one else visited me, so of course that's what I think, dumba- Phil." Phil let out a sigh. Reversing this damage was going to be harder than he originally thought. He knew that Dream hurt him, but to think that he broke his spirit this much is heartbreaking. 

"Toms, no one saw you because no one knew where you were. Dream closed all the Nether portals-"

"Because I made him mad-"

"Because he wanted to break you, Tommy. All of us wanted to see you, mate."

"But Tubbo-"

"Was manipulated by Dream. Dream told him what to do, and he thought that was the only option. Tubbo has come to me so, so many times, crying about how much he missed you. He even asked me to be the president because he wanted to break his own decision-" Tommy was shaking. His hands were in his hair, clenching the golden strands like his life depended on it.

"Stop lying, Phil. Stop, please, please, please stop, don't hurt me, _Dream!"_

Sapnap and Techno were at his side in an instant, simply holding him close and whispering reassurances into his ears. Phil sighed as he rubbed circles into Tommy's back, trying to calm him down. He knew that he had thrown too much information on the teen at one time, and they were paying the consequences for it.

"U-Uhm, can someone do me a favor before I die?" Sapnap was in front of Tommy, wiping away his tears.

"What can we do for you, Toms? Water? A blanket?" 

Tommy shook his head wordlessly and shakily handed something to Sapnap.

_"Please."_

It was a scuffed compass, with scratches and nicks all over it. On it, engraved, were two words:

_Your Tubbo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read my new story you assholes i love you bye


	28. 'Why, Theseus?' is Moving!

All of you seem to love the 'Why, Theseus?' thing. I AM NOT STOPPING IT DON'T GET WORRIED- I was wondering if I should move the chapters to a separate story so people don't have to search through chapters to find this, and so new people who have never seen my stuff have a better chance of finding it. 

This would only mean that I would stop publishing the new chapters here, and that they would be in a separate work. I'll probably edit them a bit so I like them more, but for the most part the chapters will stay the same. The first two chapters will stay here, but the future chapters will be posted there.

I'm not sure if this will be a long, drawn out story, or if this will end in a few chapters. Who knows?

See you there, readers! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS- thanks for all the love on both of my stories! It means a lot :'D


	29. Concussed Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy hits his head a bit too hard, and decides not to tell anyone. He then decides to stream, and promptly passes out.  
> TW- minor concussion, blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by @HotBeanLad who wanted something similar to a previous oneshot, but with a more uncommon cause. They also explicitly said not to add major character death, to which I am disappointed. I hope you like this!
> 
> pretend rona doesn't exist in this. it makes more sense.
> 
> Also, have you seen fanfictions where the creators add, like, a certain thing in that they know a lot about? Maybe a TV show or another YouTuber or something? Mine is Disney. I'm _that_ asshole. Maybe a Disney World chap in the furture? Maybe pogchamp?

The ride over to America was flawless. There was no turbulence, they didn't have to wait in long lines for security, and their luggage didn't get lost. Tommy and Tubbo had been buzzing with excitement on their way to the airport and on the entire flight over with their parents glaring daggers at them for being so loud so early in the morning. They had been planning this trip for a month even though they were only staying in the states for a week. MOJANG was holding a special creator's convention to thank the new wave of creators for bringing their game to the top again, and so international friends could meet up and stream together. Tommy found out before the public, and that was all because of a call from his best friend.

_Tommy had barely stepped foot into his room before his Discord was ringing. He chucked his backpack off to the side and put on his headphones, not surprised to see that Tubbo was the one calling._

_"Tommy? When was the last time you checked your mail?" Tommy looked up at his screen, seeing Tubbo holding something in his hands. It wasn't on screen, so he had no idea what it was._

_"That's a weird fuckin' question. Why do you ask?" Tubbo wordlessly held up a red envelope, the words_ MOJANG _printed onto it in bright, white letters._ _Tommy was on his feet in a second, running to his mailbox. He was almost out the door when his mom gently tapped him on the shoulder._

_"What is it, mum?" His mom handed him an identical letter to Tubbo's._

_"I just got the mail, and was going to bring it up to you." Tommy snatched the envelope out of her outstretched hands, and his mom let out a laugh at him sprinting to his room, yelling a 'thanks, mum!' to her. Tubbo was waiting on call when Tommy came barging in._

_"I got one too! The fuck is this..." The teens opened their letters at the same time, silently reading and processing the words on the letter. "Hey Tubbo?" Tommy asked._

_"Yeah?"_

_"WE'RE GOING TO THE U-S OF A'S MY FRIEND! HOLY SHIT-"_

_"ACTUAL FUCKING MOJANG INVITED US TO A MINECON-"_

_Neither_ _of them stopped yelling about it for a long while, much to their parent's dismay._

"My god, that flight took fuckin' forever. My neck is gonna be sore for the next ten years because of that." Tubbo shrugged sympathetically at Tommy.

"Maybe if you had bought a neck pillow like I told you to, this wouldn't have happened."

"Shut the fuck up, Tubbo." The two boys were playfully shoving each other as their parents trudged on in front of them. They were carrying their own luggage, so their parents only had to carry their own. The only reason that Tommy and Tubbo weren't leading the pack was because neither of them knew where they were going, and neither of them could figure out how to get to where they needed to go. 

"Boys? You need to hurry it up or the monorail is going to leave without us!" Their parents were standing in front of sliding doors, leading to a monorail to take them to their departure terminal. Lani was looking disappointingly at her brother, and he flicked her on the back of the head as they made their way onto the monorail.

"Tubbo! It's like fuckin' Subway Surfers! I don't need to hold onto the safety railing, mum, I'm not gonna fall- whoa!" Tommy jolted backwards as the monorail slowly started to move forwards, and he wordlessly held onto the railing as Lani and Tubbo only laughed at him from the seat in the wall behind him. Tommy scoffed. "You two try it. The ground is moving and shit." Lani hopped off the seat and stretched out her arms, balancing on the ground as the monorail came to a stop. She looked at Tommy when the monorail stopped and jolted and she didn't stumble an inch.

"You just got out-balanced by a girl." 

"Shut up, Lani."

After walking around for a bit, getting lost, going down an escalator and an elevator, they were finally at the area where cars and buses stopped to pick people up. Tubbo looked longingly at the end of the hall where crying kids were impatiently waiting for Magical Express buses. "I wanna go to Disney World." Tommy laughed at his friend, but he leaned down to Tubbo.

"Dream told me he would get us in later in the week. Something about a Vacation Club membership." 

"No way! Oh god that's so cool- Is it just gonna be the people on the SMP there? That would be cool. Lani is coming though, she'd tear off my head if she knew we went to Disney without her."

"I think you'll need to bring it up with the big man when you see him. Our car is here, so you can ask him when you see him at the hotel. If he says no I'll just post something on Twitter about how much he hates Lani and then she'll be with us, no worries." Tubbo smiled, knowing that Tommy's last resort method would work if they needed to use it. 

"This hotel is nice as hell, Tubs. Wh- hello?" Tommy turned around to someone tapping his shoulder. A dirty blonde, green eyed, tall someone, who had a shit eating grin on his face.

"You're not 6'3, Tommy."

"Shut up, _Clay."_ Tommy was glowering at him, but his grin broke his facade. He and Tubbo ran into Dream, raving about how they were actually in the states and how they had actually seen his face. "Listen, Dream, if you did a face reveal, you would get _all_ the women." Dream tipped his head back and deflated at Tommy's comment. 

"The actual event doesn't start until tomorrow at one, but all of us are gonna be there early to see each other and check out the con. I would show you around today, but the people running it are making last minute fixes and stuff. There's only a few people that haven't shown up yet, but the rest of us are here. I'll let you two get settled in before I drag you with me to see everyone. Most of us are hanging out in room 2319 or 2320, so come see us when you're ready."

"Okay, Big D! Mum, we need to get to our rooms and chuck all our shit in there! We need to hang out with the _BOYS!"_

"Tommy, stop swearing. We can bring your things to your rooms, you just go be with your friends. Tubbo, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Tubbo turned to Tommy's mom and gave her a mock salute. Tommy and Tubbo were instantly on Dream, hanging onto every word he said. She could hear them talking even after they left the lobby. Their ride up the elevator was not a quiet one. Tubbo and Tommy were talking over each other to talk to Dream, and they hardly noticed as Dream led them down a hallway. Dream swiped his room key and opened the door, and an excited voice rang out from inside the over-packed room. 

"Dream! Who have you brought this time?" Wilbur was just walking out of the bathroom when Dream opened the door, and he didn't have any time to brace himself before two pairs of arms were around his waist.

"Wilbur! When did you get here? You're much taller than i thought you would be-"

"Wilbur! _MY FRIEEENNNDD!!"_ Wilbur grinned at the two idiots attached to his hip. If they were this high energy after being up for hours without caffeine, he wasn't sure he wanted to see them at a full day's energy level. Will heard a groan from one of the people in the room. 

"Will, who the fuck is being so loud? Good Christ..." Schlatt saw the two teens at his sides, and he wasn't surprised that they were the ones being loud. He looked at Tommy, who had a starstruck expression on his face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was opened in a wide smile. Tubbo was worming his way around him, getting to the other people in their joined rooms. Schlatt gave Tommy a once over and squinted his eyes. "You're not actually 6'3, are you?" That snapped Tommy out of his shock. He walked up to hug Schlatt, and he purposefully hugged him so hard that it was difficult to breathe.

"Shut up, you tall prick." Schlatt thwacked him on the back of the head. 

The rest of the evening went smoothly. The afternoon was filled with smiles and hectic travel stories, and several people talking about how they wanted to stray away from the convention to hang out alone. Tommy loudly said that he would want to go to Disney while staring directly at Dream. Dream shook his head and put a finger on his lips. He knew that he shouldn't have told Tommy, but it was too late at that point. He brushed of Tommy's stare and went on talking like it had never happened.

Tommy spent the whole day following Schlatt around like a lost puppy. He pretended to get annoyed by it, but Schlatt couldn't deny that he liked the kid. He was like a walking spitfire that almost always had a retort to his comments. He thought that Tommy would be annoying because of the way he acted online, but he was pleasantly surprised to find out that his personality was endearing. He had hardly talked to the kid outside of the SMP roleplay, but he was happy that their personalities bounced off each other perfectly. Maybe he would be like the fanart people drew on Twitter of him being a dad. 

He wouldn't mind it.

Everyone outside the convention hall was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was grouped together in the parking lot, waiting for the back doors to open so they could explore the inside. Schlatt looked at Tommy and called him over. Tommy was at his side in an instant, looking up to Schlatt with a smile. "You ever played American football, Toms?" Schlatt was tossing a football in his arms.

"Uh-" Dream interrupted Tommy before he could answer him. 

"The people inside keyed the door, so it looks like we're gonna be out here for a bit while they call people to fix it." He was met with groans and sighs of annoyance. He held up his hands and shook his head. "Hey, if you wanna go through the front door and get harassed by the people waiting for the event to start, be my guest." He was met with silence. "That's what I thought. You guys are lucky it's overcast so you won't get awful sunburns, but I hope some of you brought umbrellas." Dream let out a wheeze at the loud noised of annoyance he got from everyone in the crowd. He could tell that this was not going to be one of the quick five minute thunderstorms Florida got- this one going to last for a while. "Schlatt, is that a football? Was that just _in_ your car?" Schlatt shrugged at Dream, and threw the ball at his head. Dream threw the ball to Niki. Niki threw the ball to Sam. A game of football had broken out as the rain slowly started to pour on their heads. 

Since quite a few people didn't know how to play football, it was more like a strange mix of catch and monkey in the middle, but none of them seemed to mind. Phil was holding the ball in his hands, and yelled out for Tommy to watch out. Tommy was looking towards the now-open door, and he didn't hear Phil's warning through the pounding of the rain on the concrete. The ball hit him head on, and Tommy fell ungracefully on the concrete. He didn't get up. 

Feet thudded on the ground, making their way to the boy on the ground. Tubbo was horrified when he saw the slow stream of blood leaving the back of Tommy's head. "What's wrong? What happened? Oh my god oh my _god-"_ Tubbo was crying into Wilbur's arms as Sam brought him inside. Phil was rubbing his back, trying to console him. 

"The only reason why he's bleeding that much was because it's his head, Tubbo. There's nothing to worry about, mate. He won't even need stitches or anything, he just scarped up the back of his head on a bumpy bit of concrete. He's fine, he's fine, shhhh..." Tubbo made his way inside, trudging along to the first aid area like everyone else. Tubbo let out a happy sob when he saw Tommy sitting up and talking to the nurse as they put bandages around his head. He was out of his red and white shirt, instead wearing a Minecon 2021 shirt. He could guess that there were blood stains on his normal shirt, so they had to give him a new one.

"Tommy? Are you okay? I was so worried-" Tommy looked up at Tubbo and gave him a bleary smile.

"It's too fuckin' bright in here. Yeah, I'm uh, fine. I'm fine. We need to get to the streaming station thing, right? Dunno why they had us do that right away but I didn't plan the event. I would wanna walk around for a bit." Tommy got up from the chair he was seated in, and he stumbled trying. Everyone looked concerned. 

"Toms, I don't think you should stream right now. You don't look to good, and you can't walk." Tommy walked past Phil after patting him on the shoulder, and he looked behind at everyone in the first aid area.

"I'm fine, guys! I just hit my head a bit. No worries." 

Tommy was not fine. As everyone made their way to the panel of computers lined up behind a curtain, Tommy was flinching at every rise in the audience's volume. There was no going back now, though. He could hear the announcer tell the audience that they would all try to beat the game as fast as possible as one party, and he explained the ins and outs of the challenge. He felt someone tap his shoulder. It was Schlatt. "Are you sure you're okay? We turned off your webcam so the audience can't see your bandages so they won't panic. You fell pretty hard, Toms." Tommy brushed him off with a wave of his hand, mumbling something under his breath. Schlatt could tell he was lying. He was lucky he got seated next to him in the lineup so he could keep an eye on him. 

"And now, the cast!" The announcer went down the line of everyone there, and they all had small introductions. Each person was met with applause, and Schlatt grew more worried when he saw Tommy weakly cover his ears. When Tommy's time came to introduce himself, Schlatt thought it was a miracle that he didn't sound drugged out of his mind. 

"'Ello! It's TommyInnit, boys! My camera broke right before the event started, so you can't see my hot face." The line went on smoothly, and then the game began. Tommy was walking around in-game aimlessly, humming to himself in the mic. Schlatt's character was never too far from him. The audience was the chat, and their messages showed up on their screens. 

_tf is Tommy doing_

_my mans in on All The Drugs_

_what's wrong with Tommy?_

_he's just picking flowers and giving them to Schlatt_

_DADSCHLATT POG_

_is he okay?_

Tommy ignored the messages. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. The screen was hurting his eyes, and the audience was too loud. He could feel his head pounding out of his skull, but he willed himself to push through it. As the day turned to night in their world, so did the stage lights. The stage was dark and the audience was quiet. Tommy leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes, his player slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Schlatt was following him, confused as to what Tommy was doing. He didn't see a ruined portal anywhere, so he was wondering what Tommy saw in the water. He punched Tommy's character. "Tommy, what the hell are you doing?" Real life Schlatt looked over at the teen, and he shot up out of his chair. The kid was out like a light. Schlatt logged him out of the game and spoke into the mic. "Uh, me and Tommy gotta go. Back in a bit." The audience went wild, yelling about how they knew something was wrong with Tommy. Schlatt texted the group chat Bad insisted on making that Tommy had passed out, and that they should still play the game. He was met with displeased responses, but they still had an audience to entertain. 

Schlatt picked up Tommy, and set off backstage to the first aid area. The staff were miracle workers, as he got there with Tommy in his arms without any nosy fans getting in his face. The nurse from before gave one look at Tommy and sighed. "He has a minor concussion. I told him that he should go back to the hotel, but he wouldn't listen." Schlatt was worried. A concussion? Did he have to go to the hospital? He asked this to the nurse, who smiled at him. "No, he doesn't. He should stay out of the convention for a day or two and stay away from screens and loud noises and bright lights. He just needs to rest in peace and quiet, and this certainly isn't the place to do it." Schlatt set Tommy down on the uncomfortable bed and called for an Uber to their hotel. Tommy sure as hell wasn't going to be able to get there by himself, so Schlatt had to help him. 

He wasn't surprised to see that Twitter was having a fit about Tommy and Schlatt leaving early. Tommy was even on trending, and so was Schlatt. His at's were filled with worried messages and panicked fans, and he brushed them off to the side. He didn't want the world to panic, and he didn't want to stress Tommy out for not being able to stream. Schlatt got a notification that his Uber was outside, and he went to pick up Tommy again. Tommy stirred, and looked up at Schlatt. "What the hell are you doing? I need to be back to stream, Schlatt. Put me down." Tommy made no effort to struggle out of Schlatt's arms. Schlatt looked down at him.

"I fuckin' knew something was wrong. You have a concussion, you idiot! I knew you weren't okay, but you pushed on anyways. Good god, you are _so much_ like me it's kind of horrifying. You're not going back to the con for a while, Tommy. It'll fuck up your head." Tommy shook his head, groaning as the sounds of traffic hit his ears. He hid himself in Schlatt's neck, and he threw his arms around his neck as Schlatt got them both into the car. Schlatt thanked whatever god was out there that their car was new and that the road was newly paved so there were no bumps in the ride whatsoever.

As Schlatt tried to set Tommy down in the lobby because Tommy insisted he could walk, he stepped back to let Tommy balance himself out. He got one step forwards towards the elevator before he was tripping, and Schlatt was at his side in a second. "You can't walk, you idiot, now let me carry you." Tommy grumbled something about Subway Surfers before letting Schlatt carry him to the elevator. He could feel both his and Tommy's phones buzzing, but he payed them no mind. He could see that Tommy was falling asleep as he wordlessly set him down on his bed. He shut the curtains and pulled up white noise on his phone, and he dug around in his suitcase for ibuprofen or something else that he could give Tommy. "Schlatt?" He turned around to see Tommy sitting up and rubbing his eyes. 

"Hang on, I'll get you a glass so you can take the medicine. Stay awake for five more minutes, bud." He received a grunt in response. He hastily got one of the paper cups next to the coffee machine and filled it with tap water, and he handed the cup and the ibuprofen to Tommy who wordlessly took them out of his hands. He sank back down on the bed and groggily patted the spot next to him. 

"Can you sit next to me, please?" Schlatt didn't know how to deal with physical affection, but he was just asking him to sit next to him. He shucked off his Timbs and sat down next to Tommy, laving a solid foot of space in between them. Tommy slid over to Schlatt and took his arm in his hands, and he curled up in his side. 

"Uh, Toms? What are you doing?"

"Warm hugs. Shut up and let me sleep." 

Schlatt awkwardly started to comb his hands through Tommy's hair, and he felt his head thump against his chest. 

He wasn't going to be able to move for a while.

He took out his phone and opened Twitter, and he saw why his phone was blowing up. Someone had seen him carry Tommy like a little kid through the parking lot, and they had seen the bandages on his head. DadSchlatt and TommyInnitInjury were trending, and he sighed to himself. He didn't want to overwhelm the kid, but there was nothing he could so now. He chose to ignore Twitter, and instead took a picture of himself and Tommy curled into him and sent it to Phil.

_He's my son now, bitch_

When Phil let out a laugh suddenly at the con, he gave no indication as to why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM THE DEAD


	30. A Mistake - 1/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy runs away from Logstedshire and Dream finally realizes his mistakes.  
> TW- emotional manipulation, mentions of blood, bad parenting, threats of violence  
> TELL ME IF I NEED TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE I'M TIRED BACK OFF

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to split this into fucking parts because it was so long  
> this was _supposed_ to be based off of a request by @Karo, but that didn't work out, so this is what you get.
> 
> NOTES AT BOTTOM FOR WHY I WAS GONE/UPDATES!!

“You’ll still come to see me again, right?” Tommy was begging Dream. Dream had found and blown up his secret stash of supplies last week, and he had left Tommy in ruins. That morning, Dream had found Tommy on his bed in his poorly-made tent, holding a singed photo of Tubbo, a beat-up compass, and an emerald earring to his chest. He heard Dream clear his throat, and he shot his gaze up to see him with his arms crossed. He silently held his hand out and motioned for Tommy to give him his things.

“Please, Dream, this is all I have. A picture, an earring, and a compass. Don’t take these away, too. It’s all I have left of them, of  _ all  _ of them.” Dream scoffed, still motioning for Tommy to hand over his things. 

“All of ‘them?’ Who’s them- you’re friends? Come on now, we both know I’m your only friend. None of them have seen you in weeks, and I’m the only one that cares enough to see you. Burning these would make you finally let you of your stupid ideas that they still care- hey!” Tommy had darted out of the tent, rushing to his new enderchest Dream hadn’t seen when he walked to Tommy. He hastily threw all of his items in the chest before he ducked behind it. Dream’s shadow was looming over him, a pickaxe in his hand.

“You went mining? You went to the  _ Nether? _ You did the exact opposite of what I told you to do when I was in the middle of talking to you, even though you know I’m just doing this to help you. How am I going to get that through your thick skull?” Dream walked to Tommy and opened the enderchest. He knew  _ exactly  _ how he was going to make Tommy learn his lesson. What he took out had Tommy rushing out from behind the chest.

In Dream’s hands were  _ Cat _ and  _ Mellohi.  _

Tommy was up in an instant, pounding at Dream’s chest, not noticing the cuts on his fists from the thorns armor. He was pleading, begging at Dream, but he kept walking. He walked down to the shore and dug a small hole, TNT appearing in his hands. Tommy was clinging to him, tears and blood running down his face.

“Dream, no, please, not my discs,  _ not my discs!  _ Tubbo and I found them together, we farmed them together, we went to war over them, not my discs, please Dream, please!” Tommy sank to his knees, praying to Dream as if he was a god. Dream dropped the discs into the hole, and he harshly kicked Tommy away when he almost dove in after them. Tommy was clutching his stomach, blood coming out of his mouth as he watched Dream light the TNT. 

“It was never meant to be.”

The TNT fell into the hole, and Tommy was screaming, dragging himself to the hole where the wick was slowly reaching the base of the TNT. He started to claw at the sand, desperately trying to get his discs, but the flame on the wick disappeared into the TNT, and Tommy’s world went dark. 

The explosion itself was small, but it sent Tommy flying backward into the ocean. His ragged clothes were simmering, slowly being doused out by the ocean waves. His eyes were closed and his ears were ringing. He could feel himself being dragged out of the water and being thrown onto the ground, the impact making the air leave his lungs. His eyes shot open and he saw spots in his vision. Tommy turned to the side, and he could see the black sand in front of him, as well as broken, tiny pieces of his discs scattered amongst the sand. He could feel a pain in his cheek, and he let out a sob when he pulled his hand away only to see a fragment of his disc in his hands. 

“You deserved this, Tommy.” He could see Dream standing over him and tutting. Tommy reached out to Dream, his vision still blurry. “I’ll be seeing you.” Dream waded into the water, a trident in his hands. Tommy coughed before he spoke.

“You’ll still come see me again, right?” Dream turned around to face him and soared into the sky without a word. 

Tommy watched him disappear into the sky until he was just a speck in the distance. 

He tipped back his head and screamed. 

Tommy had just lost what he was fighting for. He had lost the link to his friends, his link to his home. He had wanted three measly things for himself, and keeping them made Dream blow up the very things he went to war for. Dream said that the discs were the only things he cared about, the only thing that stopped Tommy from winning, and he just destroyed them in front of his eyes like it was nothing. 

He had nothing.

Tommy stumbled to his feet, picking up the pieces of his discs and clutching them to his chest. Bits of the black record dug into his hands, their sharp, hot edges burning him, but he paid them no mind. As he picked up the pieces, a flash of green or purple would appear on the beach, and Tommy smiled to himself as he looked at the colored fragments. He remembered what it was like to hear the discs for the first time.

He would never be able to hear them again. 

Dream had destroyed what he was fighting for, what he was  _ exiled  _ for. Tommy sniffled, putting the shards into a small drawstring bag he found a while back and hid into a tree. He tied the bag around his wrist and looked to the horizon. 

Dream took away his cause for fighting. There was no need to fight for L’Manberg anymore.

Tommy wordlessly started to walk away from his destroyed home, only stopping when the stars were shining in the sky.

Dream was all smiles in George’s new house, Sapnap and George not commenting on his overly cheery mood. His mask was off and his eyes were bright, looking at his best friends with joy. “I love the way you built this house, Georgie! I’m surprised you made the walls red, though.” George’s head whipped to Dream.

“These walls are  _ red?”  _ Sapnap and Dream both burst into fits of laughter. Dream wiped the tears out of his eyes and smiled at George.

“No, no, they’re green, don’t worry.” George punched Dream on the shoulder. Dream’s eyes wandered to the enderchest tucked away in the back corner, and a gleam came into his eyes. “Hey, do you wanna listen to something? Consider it my extremely late housewarming gift.” There were mumbles of agreement from his friends when he went to the chest. Dream pulled out two scuffed discs, worn with use, their colors faded. He turned to George with a sick smile on his face and a crazed look in his eyes.

“Do you wanna listen to  _ Cat  _ or  _ Mellohi?” _

It had been a week and a half since Tommy took off. He was bleary-eyed and numb from walking, but he didn’t stop until he passed out from exhaustion. While he was walking, he passed countless different biomes and saw villages pop up every once in a while, but he didn’t want to go to them. 

What if Dream knew the people in the village, and they told him Tommy had left? What if they ordered their iron golem to kill him? What if they poisoned him with potatoes? What if they called a pillager raid and hid in their houses, forcing Tommy to suffer the consequences of leaving Logstedshire? There was too much of a risk, so Tommy trudged on. 

The only time he had stepped foot into a village was once in the dead of night. Tommy went to the village, quiet as a church mouse, and went into the leatherworker’s home, taking one pair of brand new leather boots. He ran out of there as quick as he could, not bothering to put on the boots. He ran into the woods and collapsed onto his pile of wool, clutching the boots to his chest as he slept. 

Tommy needed the boots.

The blood from his aching feet would leave a trail. 

That morning, he woke up at dawn, slipped on the boots, gathered his wool, and set off. That was five days ago, and the boots were falling apart from the amount of walking he had done. He had walked tens of thousands of blocks, only stopping to sleep. The only thing Tommy allowed himself to have was food, water, the clothes on his back, and his satchel filled with broken memories. If Dream saw him with gear, he may as well kiss his last life goodbye.

Tommy only stopped moving when he knew he was far enough away to never be found. He gathered enough wool to make a tent, a  _ real  _ tent, with a flap and enough room for a bed, and he pitched it on the area above the shore where the grass meets the sand. Tommy looked at the ocean, the setting sun dulling the colors of the vibrant coral in the blue water, and he hugged his feet to his chest as he sat on the sandy shore. 

He might be safe here.

Dream threw his trident and plunged into the cold ocean. He thought that two weeks would be long enough to not see Tommy, knowing that he would’ve learned his lesson after the disc stunt. He didn’t realize that he missed seeing Tommy until he stopped going to visit. He was loud and obnoxious at times, but docile and submissive at others, and that was all because of Dream’s hard work. He knew what he was doing, but seeing Tommy sob over his discs made something in his heart stir.

He was doing this on purpose. He was breaking Tommy’s resolve down on purpose, and there’s no way he was going to stop now.

After traveling across the freezing ocean, Dream landed on the beach of Logstedshire and looked around. The sand was still black, but the shards of the discs were gone. Tommy had gone through the sand and picked up every piece of the fake discs, not missing a single shard. 

That hurt Dream for some reason. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted out into the wind.

“Tommy?” There was no response, not even a shuffle of blankets to be heard. He called out again. “Tommy? I came back like I said I would!” Dream had said no such thing, but Tommy’s ears were probably still ringing from the TNT at that point, so he didn’t need to know that he had stayed silent. As Dream made his way to Logstedshire, there was still no response. He went to the tent, expecting to find an asleep Tommy, yet there was nothing. Dream went to the crater, and there was still no sign of him. Dream was starting to panic at this point. He walked over to Tommy’s writing area, and there was still nothing. He went to the mines, and there was nothing. There were no new tunnels in the mines, and the air was still. Dream rushed to the surface, staring at the broken Nether portal.

There was nothing. Every place Tommy had been to he checked. There were no new Nether portals, there were no new shoddy houses, there were no repaired portals, there was no sign of the boy he left here. 

“Tommy! Where are you?” Dream’s voice got carried away with the wind. The only other place Dream thought he could be was Techno’s house. Dream took off on foot, sprinting the whole way there. 

Techno was not pleased to be woken up so early in the morning. He heard loud knocking and shouting at his doorstep, and he groggily pulled himself out of his bed. He was supposed to be in  _ retirement,  _ he was supposed to be living out here  _ secretly.  _ As he opened the door, he pointed the tip of his sword at whoever was causing this commotion, and his eyes widened when he saw an out of breath Dream grasping at his knees and panting in front of him. Either he didn’t notice the sharp sword at his throat or he didn’t care, because he grasped Techno by the collar and brought him down to his level.

“Dream, it’s too early in the morning for whatever the hell you’re doing, so get the hell off of me in three seconds or I’m gonna take one of your lives.” Dream was still panting, leaning on Techno for support. He gasped, trying to speak, but the only thing that came out was a cough.

“One.”

“Techno- please, do you know-?”

“Two.”

“You have to know! Where, where,  _ where, _ hi Phil-”

“One.”

The sword was drawn back and ready to swing when Phil grasped onto Techno’s arm. Techno turned around to face Phil with a huff, yet he was only met with a pat on the shoulder. “You can kill him later, no blood before noon,” Techno grumbled, but stood behind Phil, glaring daggers at Dream. Phil turned to Dream, and his eyes widened to see that he had taken off his mask. Dream’s green eyes were boring into Phil’s soul. “Dream, mate, you have to tell us what you need for us to help you.” Phil wasn’t pleased about getting woken up so early either, but he wasn’t as quick to violence as Techno was. He would hear what Dream had to say, and then he would shoo him away and go back to bed.

“Tommy’s gone. Is he here? I can’t find him anywhere.  _ Please  _ you  _ have  _ to know where he is!” Phil and Techno bristled.

“We haven’t seen him at all. We thought that he might’ve taken some of our emeralds, but we never got the proof.” Dream almost flinched at that.

“Tommy had them, but they got… destroyed. Can I check inside your house? Please? I need to find him, and I don’t know if you’re lying.” Techno grabbed the door and closed it, but not before Phil had yanked Dream into his house. He got another glare from Techno. “I’ll be quick, I promise. Tommy?” Dream went around their whole house, peering into every nook and cranny while looking for Tommy. He went upstairs, downstairs, to the stables, to the bee farm, to the turtle farm, to the forest, yet he found nothing. He was frantic by the time he went back to Techno’s front porch, and Phil could swear he almost saw tears in his eyes. He grasped onto Phil’s shoulders. “Phil, I know this is a stretch, but can you fly me to L’Manberg? That’s the  _ only  _ other place he could be.” Phil stiffened.

“I would, but  _ somebody _ disabled my wings.” Dream tore himself off of Phil and sat onto the wooden porch, crossing his legs and shutting his eyes. “Dream, what the hell are you doing?” Dream had started to breathe deeply, and a small breeze was suddenly surrounding them. With one last exhale, the snow around him dispersed, and Phil gasped. A boost of energy was rushing through his veins, and he could feel his wings move and shift, spreading out and stretching. Phil stared at Dream in wonder. “Dream, it was like I never stopped flying! They’re not sore or anything, mate? What did you do?” Dream stood up on shaky legs and smiled at Phil.

“That was something extra I did. It took a lot out of me, but it put a lot of energy in you. Can we go to L’Manberg now? I need to find Tommy.” Dream was grasping onto the railings for support, not trusting his shaky legs to hold him up. Phil was staring at his wings in wonder, flapping them and expanding them as he preened. Dream smiled as Phil let out a happy trill, flapping his wings in excitement. Techno came trudging out of the house after hearing Phil’s trills and chirps.

“Phil, what’s goin’ on? Is something wrong?” Phil turned to him with the biggest smile he had ever seen on his face and sparkles in his eyes. “Uh-”

Phil grasped him by the shoulders and let out another chirp. “Techno! Dream gave me my wings back, look!” Phil flapped his wings. “It was like they never went numb! The muscles are still there, there’s nothing wrong! They’re back, they’re back!” Techno was staring dumbstruck at Phil, and then his eyes turned to Dream, who was now sitting on the floor, rubbing his eyes. Phil turned his gaze to Dream as well, and he wordlessly picked him up and tucked his head under his chin. Dream’s eyes widened, but he made no move to wriggle out of Phil’s grasp. “Sorry that this first flight isn’t for you, but Dream said he needed to get to L’Manberg, so that’s where we’ll be. Be back in a bit, Techno!” Phil spread his wings, and with one mighty flap, he was in the air, whooping and laughing as he flew to L’Manberg with Dream in his arms. 

Phil was soaring, flipping and twirling in the sky, letting the wind throw him every which way. He was beaming as he flew over the ocean, looking at Dream who was grasping to his neck tightly. “Thank you for this, Dream. Not being able to use my wings was something I never want to feel again. It was like something was missing, but getting this back is just… god mate, I can’t even describe it. Thank you Dream. Dream?” Dream’s head was against his chest, his eyes shut and his breathing steady. “Dream?” Dream opened his eyes and stretched, almost falling out of Phil’s arms and into the ocean below. “You alright mate?” He nodded and looked to the nearing lights of L’Manberg.

“Doing that wasn’t easy for me, Phil. I had to rebuild your muscles back to the state they were in when I first met you, and I had to infuse the magic back into them. That takes a lot out of a person, you know.” Phil nodded and set them down in the town center. He put Dream down, and he threw his hand out. “Well, we’re here. I will be on my merry way, and-” Dream was pulling at his kimono, leaning against him for support. 

“Is it alright if you fly me to Ponk’s tower? I need somewhere with a bigger range.” Phil picked up Dream, and they were in the skies again. Phil landed on the top of Ponk’s tower and let Dream jump out of his arms. Phil stood back when Dream sat down again and closed his eyes, crossing his legs and breathing deeply. Phil could feel something inside him stir, and he looked over at Dream, who had opened his eyes. They were green. Pure green, no pupils, no corneas, they were just a bright, neon green. “I can see you now, okay…” Dream turned his head, scanning the horizon and shaking his head. 

“Uh, Dream? What are you doing?” 

“Seeing who’s around. When I do this, I can see the outline of people as if they were hit with spectral arrows. Tubbo is in the bee dome, Fundy and Ranboo are in Fundy’s underground base, HBomb is in Fundy’s old house, hell, I can even see a little pink outline of Techno if I focus hard enough. I’m almost positive he’s stealing one of your cloaks, Phil, but that’s not the point. I still can’t see Tommy at all. I-I should be able to see him, but there’s nothing here. It’s like he vanished off the face of the planet! Wait- no that was Sam.” Dream groaned and pulled a god apple out of his pocket. Taking a bite, he darted his eyes around at a fast pace, squinting, and then groaning again. “I thought I would be able to find him without this, but I still can’t see him.” Dream placed down a lodestone and took a worn bandana out of his pocket, running it through the groves of the lodestone. Dream said something Phil couldn’t understand, and suddenly the lodestone was gone, the bandana falling to the floor. 

Dream banged his fist onto the ground before collapsing. “I know what direction he’s in, at least. He’s too far for even the lodestone to track. I need to- need to find him. He could be hurt- I need to, need to-” Dream passed out without another word, and Phil could only look on in worry. The closest place he could rest was his house, but if he was caught, he was as good as dead. He needed Dream to find Tommy, so he scooped Dream into his arms again, and flew to his house. 

Phil was watching over Dream when his door burst open, revealing an angry president. “You, Philza Minecraft, have got a lot of nerve coming back here- is that  _ Dream?  _ Phil, you’re a dead man walking at this point.” Phil shook his head at Tubbo. 

“I only brought Dream here because he can find Tommy, and this was the closest spot I could heal him.” Tubbo was confused.

“Find Tommy, did something happen? If you and Dream teamed up and this is a sick plan to get under my skin, there will be no mercy shown towards you.” He tried to sound menacing, but the worry for Tommy overpowered his voice. 

“Dream just showed up to my house asking where Tommy was, and now we’re here looking for him. He did this weird thing with a lodestone and said that he knows where Tommy is but he passed out after that. It looks like magic takes a lot out of him. As soon as he’s up again, I’ll be gone, and so will he.” Tubbo looked down at Dream.

“Why does he even care about Tommy?” Dream shuffled and looked at Tubbo with bleary eyes.

“Like you do? You exiled him, albeit with advice from me, but you never even saw him! He came to me in the middle of the night, crying over the nightmare he just had because of what you said, over what you did. Did you know he hallucinated seeing you? That he had conversations with you? That he cried to me about missing his best friend?” Silence. Phil cleared his throat and glared at Tubbo, only to be met with a glare from Dream. “You’re not off the hook either, Phil. Not all of his nightmares and hallucinations were about Tubbo. He cried over the nightmares of you killing Wilbur- the person he looked up to the most. He cried over you favoriting Wilbur and Techno over him, and how you never  _ once  _ remembered his birthday. He saw you opening your arms for a hug, and then you disappeared. I wasn’t the only one that damaged that kid.” 

The air was thick with tension. 

Dream was right about what they did, and they had no excuse. Tubbo looked at Dream questioningly. “What do you mean ‘I wasn’t the only one?’ Did you somehow make things worse?” 

He stared at Tubbo. “Yes, yes I did. I’m the reason he ran. I never let him keep any of the resources he got, and sometimes a swing of a sword was involved. I think what did it was that I blew up fake copies of  _ Cat  _ and _ Mellohi.”  _ Tubbo and Phil stared at Dream, shock, and fury in their eyes. Dream shrugged. “Hey, at least I’m honest with myself. After not seeing him for a week, something just felt different. I dunno, it was like my sympathy switch suddenly got turned on, you know? I have to find him and make sure he’s safe.” 

Staring.

Silence. 

“Mate, people can’t just  _ turn off  _ their emotions like that. You said that so casually too, oh my god. Why did you even do that to him, anyway?” 

“I was doing it so I could break him down and stop him from rising against me again. It worked flawlessly, but then I broke him. I need to fix him. Help me up, Phil, I gotta get going. From the looks of things, he walked  _ far.  _ Very far.” Tubbo pushed Dream back onto the bed. 

“You can’t just say that! You can’t turn off your emotions like that and then suddenly turn them back on when something happens! Do you know how much you hurt us, Dream? Why? For personal gain?” A nod. “I- I will deal with you later. Tommy is more important.” Dream nodded. He had no idea why his emotions turned off sometimes, but he was happy they turned on again. His mind was always filled with satisfaction, anger, and resentment, but never sympathy. Even when Tommy was sobbing into his arms, he pushed everything away, turning off all his emotions. It happened since the start of the first war, and now he could shut away his emotions, but never bring them out by himself anymore. 

He didn’t want to turn off his emotions again. 

“I can get us closer to him, but we’ll still be a ways away. He traveled more than ten thousand blocks, so I can get us ten thousand blocks away from him. Phil, this is gonna take everything out of me, so be prepared to carry me for a while.” Phil chuckled and rolled his eyes, nodding. “Alright. Tubbo, I would wear something more suited towards the outdoors than a suit, or else your feet will be bleeding in those shoes and you’ll overheat. I’ll still be here when you’re back.” Tubbo ran out without another word and came back a few minutes later in his old clothes. 

“Okay. Both of you hold onto my hands. When we get there, keep walking north, and don’t change directions. Ready?”

Nods.

They were gone with a flash of green. 

Tommy was starving and miserable. He could hardly walk because of the pain that shot up his legs with every movement, and he only had berries and other tropical fruits to feed him. He had tried fishing, but he didn’t have a furnace to cook the fish, and his scratches were becoming agonizing with the amount of saltwater that had gone into them. He could go to the forest behind him and hunt, but his legs could only carry him so far. On the first day he settled down, he managed to kill a sheep and some chicken, but he had no way to cook them, and his legs had given out in the middle of the forest.

He stuck to the shore from that point onwards.

He would have to wait to get proper food until his legs healed from overuse, and he didn’t know how long that was going to take. 

Tommy looked to the dark clouds looming on the horizon as he nodded off on the white sandy beach he now called his home. 

Tubbo and Phil had been walking for hours. They were trudging through a dense jungle, mosquitoes biting at every patch of skin, and groaning at every cicada they heard. Dream, who was being carried on Phil’s back, was blissfully unaware of their struggles until drops of rain started to weave their way through the canopy and hit their backs. He was roused by Phil’s frantic running to a cave, and he could see the blurry green background pass him as they ran. 

“Phil! Look! There’s a cave over there! We can camp there until this ends!”

“Right!” As Tubbo and Phil caught their breath in the cave, Dream blearily rubbed his eyes, catching their attention. Phil sat him down on the cave floor before shaking his wings out like a dog. “You finally up, mate? The rain just came on us out of nowhere.” Phil looked outside the cave where the rain only seemed to be getting stronger. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop, either. I’ll start a campfire to warm up the cave while you two get some rest. You both look like you’re going to fall asleep if you close your eyes.” As Phil started to make the fire, Tubbo sat down next to Dream and leaned his head back against the stone, sighing in relief at the rest he was getting. 

Dream could tell something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He figured it was his exhaustion, and he fell asleep without another thought. 

He was awoken by a strong, loud gust of wind from outside the cave. Tubbo and Phil were frantically plugging up the entrance to the cave, screaming about the wind. Tubbo was yelling to Phil, who only had a little bit left of the entrance to fill up. “It’s been two hours, Phil! The rain isn’t gonna let up, and the wind is only getting stronger! We need to stay here for the night!” Dream became more alert at that.

_ Two hours? _

Dream saw something white blow past the small opening, and he was on his feet in a second. He staggered when he got up, but he tore down the cobblestone blockade without hesitation. “Dream! What the hell are you doing, mate? We were almost done with that!” Dream didn’t listen to Phil. He tripped and slid through the mud and the rain, and he made his way to the white fabric that was stuck on a broken branch. 

It was a tent. 

Dream shakily held the torn fabric in his hands and started running north without another word.

The wind was pushing him back. The rain was hitting him in the face, pushing him back and throwing him around. Dream could only focus on going north- finding Tommy and keeping him safe. “Tommy!” Dream could hardly hear his voice through the wind. Dream ran, tripping and sliding in the muddy grass below him. He could hear the crashing of waves in front of him, and he could smell the salt of the ocean. Dream could see the shore. 

He ran.

“Tommy!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that these updates have been EXTREMELY few and far between. As some of you know, I've been working on another work called "Why, Theseus?" It has taken up most of my time, and most of my inspiration. I _love_ the support that fic has been getting, but I think my oneshots book needs more attention from me. This will (hopefully) be getting more updates, and the next Theseus chapter is going to be longer than normal, so sorry for the wait. Thank you for understanding!!
> 
> Please leave comments, they make my day!


	31. A Mistake - 2/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream sweeps Tommy away to get healed, and he overexerts himself in the progress.  
> TW- terrible parenting, mentions of hypothermia, mentions of cuts and bruises, mentions of removing a splinter  
> TELL ME IF I NEED TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you assholes are so lucky that you're getting two chapters in two days.  
> i better get a shit ton of kudos for this.

Dream’s feet hit the sand, and he searched around frantically for Tommy. The waves in the ocean were tall and fierce, crashing onto the white sand furiously. The rain was pounding on the sand, dousing the land with harsh pellets of ice-cold water. The wind was blowing Dream’s hair in every direction, and the howling noise drowned out his voice. 

“Tommy! Where are you?” Dream was pushing himself forward onto the beach, running and tripping along the sand, looking for a shelter Tommy had made. Knowing him, it would be large and made of cobblestone, but he didn’t see a pillar anywhere on the beach. “Tommy!” Dream continued to run, seeing no shelter or any form of inhabitation. Dream was about to turn back and head to the other end of the shore when something caught his eye. 

It was a shadow of sorts like a smooth rock had grown out of the sand and made its home on the beach. 

Dream knew it wasn’t a rock when he saw lightning strike next to it, and the lighting illuminated it to show that it was a very still, very pale Tommy.

“TOMMY!” Dream ran over to the boy, dropping to his knees and shaking Tommy by the shoulders. He was soaked to the bone, and it looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. 

_ What had he done? _

“Tommy, Tommy you have to wake up. You  _ have  _ to wake up. You have to!” Dream was shaking his shoulders, and he almost considered slapping him across the face to get some kind of reaction. Dream was too panicked to sense two people behind him. Tubbo ran to Tommy’s other side and held a hand over his mouth as tears started to flow. Phil went behind Tubbo, rubbing his back. 

They were giving up on him.

They were going to let him die out here. 

Dream could feel the power and fury coursing through his body. His eyes shone a neon green, he stood up with Tommy in his arms. When he spoke, his voice didn’t sound normal. It sounded as though it was the only noise in the world, overpowering the waves and the wind and the rain.

_ “Eret.” _

Far away, a king turned their head, swearing that they just heard Dream’s voice. They were outside their castle, sheering their pink sheep in the bright sun when the voice cut through their thoughts, stopping their actions. They stretched and wiped the sweat on their brow. “Welp, I think I need to go inside. Too much sun and not enough water is a bad combination.” As Eret left their pen, the voice rang through their head again.

_ “Eret, this is Dream. You’re not imagining things. You are a skilled healer, no?” _

Eret’s eyes widened. Dream was communicating with him, unlike any way he had ever been spoken to before. He knew that Dream had power, but he didn’t know that it was vast enough to be able to communicate without speaking. Eret cleared their throat and spoke to Dream. “Uh, yeah, I’m a healer. Best on the server if I do say so myself. Are you hurt?” Eret didn’t want to help Dream, but they weren’t going to turn away someone who was injured, even if they were on the opposing side.

_ “I’m not hurt. Tommy is. Help him, and be prepared to address injuries. Get blankets, towels, new clothes, bandages, water, and healing salves. Potions are too dangerous in his condition right now. Do you understand?” _

Tommy was hurt? And Dream cared about him? Eret was shocked, but they nodded their head.

_ “We’ll be over in a bit. Prepare a warm room.” _

Eret set off to their storage room without another word. 

Dream turned around to face Phil and Tubbo. They were staring at him in wonder and confusion, but they said nothing as the storm raged on. “I am going to teleport us to Eret’s castle. As soon as we get there, I need both of you to get Sapnap and Techno. They know how to deal with hypothermia better than anyone else on the server. Do you understand?” Tubbo and Phil wordlessly nodded. “Good. Grab on.” As they grasped onto the back of Dream’s hoodie, the world shifted around them, morphing into spruce wood and stone bricks. Eret was in front of Dream, holding a basket of blankets and dropping them onto the floor in shock. “Tubbo, Phil, go.” Tubbo looked hesitant, and he glanced at the still figure in Dream’s arms. 

“I want to stay here, Dream. I need to see that Tommy is going to be okay. Phil can get Techno  _ and _ Sapnap quicker than I could, so just let me stay!” Dream groaned and handed Tommy off to Eret, who took him without hesitation and dashed down the hall and into a bedroom. 

“Do you think Phil can reach Tech  _ and  _ Sap? He’s fast, but he’s not that fast. You need to get Sapnap.”

“But-”

“Do you think Tommy wants to be surrounded by people who hurt him, Tubbo? It’s going to scare him half to death when he wakes up and sees me  _ and  _ Eret hovering over him, and I doubt that you would make it better. I know you care about him, but you won’t help him right now; Sapnap will. Go.” Tubbo didn’t acknowledge the tears in his eyes as Dream spoke, but deep down, he knew Dream was right. As much as he wanted to stay with Tommy, he would only hurt him more.

“I’ll… I’ll go get Sapnap. Just take care of him until he’s ready to see me, okay?” Dream nodded at Tubbo and put a hand on his shoulder before he stalked off after Eret. 

Eret was moving frantically around the room when Dream came in. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, and heaps of blankets warming in front of it. Eret tore through a wardrobe, picking through clothes before getting to the back of the wardrobe and pulling out a heavy set of clothes. They turned to Dream. “Dream, get him undressed and dry. The water is  _ not  _ helping his hypothermia, and the soaked clothes are only making him worse. Take one of the towels from in front of the fire and dry him off and then wrangle these onto him.” Eret threw the heavy winter clothes at Dream who threw them on the bed before rushing to get the towels at the foot of the fireplace. He turned to Tommy, and he could almost cry in relief at the sight of him breathing. 

Dream sat down next to Tommy, trying and failing to pry off his clothes. His vision turned to the shears set down on the bedside table, and he quickly got to work cutting off Tommy’s clothes. As soon as the wet clothes were off, Dream wrapped Tommy in fluffy, warm towels, and dressed him in the heavy winter clothes. Dream swaddled Tommy in heaps and heaps of blankets, never leaving his side and always checking if he was breathing. Eret grabbed some bandages and salve and turned to Dream. “Dream, I’m going to need you to un-cocoon Tommy so I can dress his wounds.” Dream’s eyes glowed brighter in anger. “I need to heal him, Dream, and the blankets are going to get in the way. You can watch me to see that he’s okay, or you can hold his hand.” Dream begrudgingly shoved himself off the bed and watched over Eret as they unwrapped Tommy. 

Dream was behind Eret, watching in rapt attention as they dressed Tommy’s wounds. His eyes were still glowing neon green, analyzing every moment Eret made. Eret dabbed salve onto Tommy’s smaller cuts, wrapping them in rolls of bandages. “There aren’t any major injuries, just some nasty cuts and bruises, mainly on his arms and legs. His torso is fine, thank goodness, so there’s no damage there. He’s still really cold though, and he needs to drink water and eat as much food as- oh.” Eret’s ever-moving hands stilled as they unveiled the lower half of Tommy’s legs and feet. Dream tensed at Eret’s silence. Dream’s eyes widened as he saw Tommy’s legs.

They were filled with purple bruises and numerous cuts, but worst of all was his feet. They were red from the cold, but also overuse. They had calluses and cuts on the soles, and Eret could see a splinter of some kind wedged in his heel. Dream’s eyes dimmed in sadness. He had driven Tommy to this state, all because of his own selfish needs. “Dream, it looks like he’s starting to wake up, which is a  _ fantastic  _ sign. His feet need to be tended to, especially that splinter. You might have to… hold him down a bit. It’s gonna hurt to get it out, and Tommy is going to be awake for it.” Dream’s eyes dimmed again.

“Can’t you heal his feet without hurting him?” Eret sighed.

“I wish it was that easy, Dream. If I heal his feet right now, the splinter will still be in his foot, and that would be painful. It has to come out.” Dream steeled himself and made his way to Tommy’s side. He was shivering, his face flushed and his eyelids fluttering. Eret looked at him. “Ready?” Dream nodded, grabbing Tommy and holding him down. 

As soon as the tweezers were at the heel of Tommy’s foot, his eyes opened, and he flailed around in a daze. He had no idea what was happening, why he was too hot and too cold at the same time, and why there was something in his foot. He started to wriggle, trying to kick whatever was at his foot away. He wanted to move, to get away from whatever was causing him pain. He could hear something at his feet, and then there were hands on his shoulders. He looked up to see Dream staring down at him with green, glowing eyes. He immediately started to try and thrash up, but Dream held him down. 

“Tommy, Tommy, I need you to listen to me. I’m not trying to hurt you, we need to get this splinter out of your foot. You’ve been walking on it for so long, Tommy, why did you not take it out?” Tommy was still trying to get out. Dream sounded genuine and kind, which meant he did something right. He sounded sorry, but for what Tommy didn’t know. He felt tears trickle out of his eyes as his foot burned, and he threw his shoulders around Dream. “Just wait a little bit more, and then it’ll be out, and you can rest. Just a little further, but you have to stop moving, Tommy.” Tommy couldn’t keep moving if he tried. It was like the energy had been sucked out of him, and he was suddenly on fire, too hot to be in a room with a fireplace. With one small whimper, the splinter was out, and Tommy went slack under Dream.

He was asleep again. 

Dream turned to Eret with a smile, ready to thank him until he saw Eret’s expression. In the tweezers was a small black sliver with grooves along the edges, and a hint of purple at its tip. “Dream?” Eret’s voice was stern and deep. “Is this  _ Mellohi?”  _ Dream’s eyes dimmed again, the outline of his cornea almost visible. 

“It’s a fake  _ Mellohi,  _ if it makes you feel better.” 

If looks could kill, Dream would be dead where he stood. Eret took off their glasses and made their way towards Dream. 

“Did you destroy fake discs in front of Tommy, the one thing he’s fought for the most? Did you destroy a fake copy of his most beloved possession?” Dream stayed silent. “Answer me, Dream!” Dream’s eyes finally stopped glowing, and neon green tears fell down his face. 

“I-” 

Dream collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion taking over. 

Eret left him on the floor as he tended to Tommy’s wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave comments please


End file.
